Philippines fears ‘potentially catastrophic’ consequences when super typhoon Man-yi hits archipelago

A man in front of his damaged house next to his pig rescued from floods caused by Typhoon Usagi, in Gonzaga, Cagayan de Oro province, northern Philippines, November 15, 2024. NOEL CELIS / AP Super Typhoon Man -yi, which is heading towards the Philippines, is intensifying and threatening millions of people. “A potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation is looming in the northeastern Bicol region as super typhoon Pepito further intensifies,” the meteorological agency said, Saturday, November 16, in its latest update, in using the local name of the storm and referring to the southern part of the main island of Luzon. More than 650,000 people have fled their homes as the “super typhoon” approaches with winds of up to 240 km/h and will make landfall late Saturday or early Sunday. It will be the sixth major storm to hit the Philippines in a month. Previous attacks have killed at least 163 people, left thousands homeless, destroyed crops and killed livestock. On Saturday, the government called on the population to heed the warnings and take shelter. “If a preventive evacuation is necessary, let us implement it and not wait for the hour of danger to evacuate or seek help, because (…) we would endanger not only our lives, but also those of our rescuers,” he said. Read also | Typhoon Usagi, the fifth in a month, hits the Philippines Read later Around twenty big storms and typhoons per year In the island province of Catanduanes, in the Bicol region, plagued by typhoons, evacuation centers are fill and the weather agency warns of severe flooding and landslides. More than 400 people crowded into the provincial government building in the capital Virac, with new arrivals sent to a gymnasium, Roberto Monterola, provincial disaster official, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Mr. Monterola announced that he had deployed soldiers to force around a hundred households in two coastal villages near Virac to head inland, for fear that the storm would submerge their homes. “Regardless of the exact point of arrival, heavy precipitation, strong winds and storm surges may occur in areas outside the expected arrival zone,” the weather agency said. The mayor of the city of Naga, in the province of Camarines Sur, imposed a curfew from noon on Saturday to force residents to stay at home. Newsletter “Human heat” How to face the climate challenge? Every week, our best articles on the subject Subscribe In Northern Samar province, disaster manager Rei Josiah Echano says the damage caused by typhoons is the root of poverty in the region. “Every time we have a typhoon like this, it takes us back to the medieval era,” Mr. Echano told AFP. All ships, from fishing boats to tankers, have been ordered to stay in port or return to dock. Nearly four thousand people were stranded after the coast guard closed fifty-five ports. Every year, around 20 major storms and typhoons hit the Philippines or its surrounding waters, killing dozens of people, but it is rare for several such weather events to occur in a short period of time. Scientists say climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and more violent gusts. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Why does global warming make hurricanes more powerful? Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content



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