In the night from Saturday to Sunday, a typhoon named Saola hit the Philippines and mainly the northeast of the main island of Luzon with winds of 185 km / h 125 kilometers from Tuguegarao, a city of about 160,000 inhabitants . “The winds weren’t too strong but there was heavy rain last night,” said Ruelie Rapsing, a relief official from Cagayan province.
A total of 388 people have been evacuated due to flooding in four towns in Cagayan, Ruelie Rapsing said, with two other towns threatened by rising waters. The province of 1.2 million people also suffered widespread power cuts, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage, the official added.
Twenty major storms per year
The super typhoon tracked south off the east coast of Luzon early Sunday. According to the local meteorological agency, it should not make landfall. However, meteorological services have warned of flash floods or landslides, which may occur due to heavy rains. Up to 200 millimeters of rain is expected to fall along the coasts of Cagayan and Isabela during the day on Sunday.
The Philippines is hit by an average of twenty major storms that kill hundreds of people every year, and keep large areas chronically poor.