MANILA - Philippine authorities declared a state of calamity and evacuated 33,000 people from the east of the main island as a "super typhoon" bore down on Friday, a week after flash floods in and around Manila killed nearly 300 people. Typhoon Parma, about 150 km (93 miles) east of Luzon island, was gaining strength as it churned west-northwest toward the coast, bringing heavy rain.It was expected to make landfall in or near the northeastern province of Isabela on Saturday. The area is mountainous and not heavily populated, but Parma was likely to lash Luzon with rain over the next two days, making life worse in flood-hit regions.
"We're concerned about the effects of more rain on the relief work in flooded areas because the water level could rise again," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said in a briefing aired on national television.
The weather bureau said Parma, with gusts of up to 230 kph (143 mph) at the center, would be the strongest typhoon to hit the country since 2006. The top U.S. commander of the Pacific region, Navy Admiral Timothy Keating, said two ships off the coast of Manila stood ready "with hundreds of Marines and medical assistance if more help is required."
"The weather forecast is pretty grim for the north part of Luzon," he told reporters in a Pentagon teleconference. "We think the threat to downtown Manila is lower than it is to the north part of Luzon."
"The weather forecast is pretty grim for the north part of Luzon," he told reporters in a Pentagon teleconference. "We think the threat to downtown Manila is lower than it is to the north part of Luzon."
At least 70,000 people fled their homes in the central Bicol region after Parma passed north of the area on Friday, bringing heavy rain. Officials said they had received some reports of landslides, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The Asia-Pacific region has been hit by a series of natural disasters in recent days, including Typhoon Ketsana that killed more than 400 in the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Tens of thousands were also displaced in southern Laos and flash floods were reported in northern Thailand.
Tens of thousands were also displaced in southern Laos and flash floods were reported in northern Thailand.
Two powerful earthquakes rocked the Indonesian island of Sumatra, with the death toll likely to be in the thousands, and a tsunami battered American and Western Samoa, killing nearly 150.
In Taiwan, authorities identified 12 villages for mandatory evacuation ahead of Parma and another storm in the Pacific, Typhoon Melor.
The Taiwan government came in for heavy criticism after a deadly typhoon in August killed as many as 770 people.
In Taiwan, authorities identified 12 villages for mandatory evacuation ahead of Parma and another storm in the Pacific, Typhoon Melor.
The Taiwan government came in for heavy criticism after a deadly typhoon in August killed as many as 770 people.
Climate change is affecting the whole planet. People are dying as a result of it. It will continue until we can slow global warming. Write your congressman and ask him to push for greater efforts to control climate change. We are seriously not doing enough.
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With this great "super typhoon" , I wonder will people take an interest in mother earth now?
ReplyDeleteAll the storms/earthquakes have got worse, with no end in sight.
Listen up folks, if we don't hurry and try to fix this Global Warming thing and help the earth to heal,we can just hang it up.
In my part of the world, we are seeing weather like none before, look around , it's happenining all over the world.
We better wake up and start building the ark, because Water World is almost here.