By Adrian Portugal and Eloisa Lopez
ISABELA, Philippines (Reuters) -More than 900,000 people evacuated vulnerable areas of the Philippines as Super Typhoon Fung-wong began lashing the main island of Luzon, with work and classes suspended across several regions, including Metro Manila.
Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, is forecast to make landfall in Aurora province as early as Sunday night, even as the Southeast Asian archipelago recovers from Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 224 people in the Philippines and five in Vietnam, where it devastated coastal communities.
With sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and gusts of up to 230 kph (140 mph), Fung-wong was already battering many parts of Luzon with massive rain bands, the authorities said.
AUTHORITIES URGE PREEMPTIVE EVACUATIONS
The highest alert level, Signal No. 5, was raised over southeastern and central areas, including Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Aurora province, while Metro Manila and nearby provinces were under Signal No. 3.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro urged residents in the storm’s path to heed evacuation orders, warning that refusing to comply was dangerous and unlawful.
“We ask that people to preemptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coast guard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.
Fung-wong – the 21st storm this year to hit a nation that normally gets 20 – threatens to further strain disaster response as officials continue to assist Kalmaegi survivors and rebuild communities.
Authorities hope to avoid casualties this time, civil defence official Raffy Alejandro told a press conference.
The military has redirected around 2,000 troops from field training to focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
‘WE ARE SCARED’
In Isabela in northern Luzon, dozens of families were sheltering in a basketball court repurposed as an evacuation centre.
“We heard on the news that the typhoon is very strong, so we evacuated early,” said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who fled with his family.
“We left our things on the roofs of our house since every time there’s a storm, we come here because we live right next to the river,” he told Reuters. “In previous storms, the floodwaters rose above human height.”
“We’re scared,” he said. “We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids. The whole family is in the evacuation area.”
Stormy conditions prevailed in Isabela, with an overcast sky casting a grey pall over the province as trees swayed violently in the wind, and sheets of rain lashed vehicle windshields, making travel difficult, according to a Reuters journalist.
Images from the Philippine Coast Guard showed evacuees in Camarines Sur carrying bags and boarding trucks from narrow passenger boats.
Eastern Visayas has reported power outages. Nearly 400 domestic and international flights have been cancelled, according to the civil aviation regulator.
(Reporting by Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Minh Nguyen and Thinh Nguyen in Vietnam; Editing by William Mallard)
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