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The storm quickly intensified Thursday morning and went from a typhoon to a super typhoon. By the time it made landfall on the island of Siargao on the east-central coast, it had achieved sustained winds of 260 kilometers per hour (160 miles per hour) with gusts of over 300 kilometers per hour (185 miles per hour) – the equivalent of a hurricane of category 5 in the Atlantic.
Parts of the Philippines have already started to receive torrential rains at the start of the week; in the center of the eastern province of Misamis, the Agay-ayan river overflowed on Tuesday, inundating streets and houses with muddy brown water.
Thousands of villages in the storm’s predicted path are at high risk of flooding and landslides, with the region’s soil already saturated and unstable from heavy rains this week, according to the Bureau of Mines and Land Use. geosciences of the country, which urged local authorities to prepare evacuation plans.
The storm is expected to pass through the central and southern regions of the country. Some of the worst conditions are expected in Surigao province, located at the northern tip of Mindanao, one of the country’s main islands.
The storm is also expected to hit a number of provinces in the country’s Visayas region, a central group of islands. More than 20 million people live in the Visayas, according to official 2020 figures.
In Surigao province, more than 2,600 people were evacuated on Wednesday evening, according to the Philippine state news agency.
Photos from Surigao show a sports complex transformed into an evacuation center, with plastic tents set up in a large hall and families asleep on rugs and tarps on the floor.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Visayas, more than 45,000 people have been evacuated to government shelters in the Eastern Visayas region, according to the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management on Thursday.
“We are already pounded by strong winds and rain,” said Governor Ben Evardone of Samar province, located in the eastern Visayas.
In the town of Tacloban, just outside Samar, hundreds of residents have also taken refuge in evacuation sites. Many lived through Super Typhoon Yolanda, which killed more than 6,000 Filipinos in 2013 – and they are now taking no chances.
“We are concerned that this storm will take the same path as the 2011 typhoon and the 2013 typhoon,” said Karen Janes Ungar, the national representative of the humanitarian organization Catholic Relief Services Philippines. “However, we have learned a lot from these two previous disasters and from a lot of disaster preparedness… for this emergency.”
The biggest concern, she added, are the small towns on the coast, which are home to fishermen and poorer populations who may not have access to government announcements or be unable to evacuate.
Airlines have canceled dozens of flights, while transport authorities have banned sea and land travel in the central and southern Philippines, leaving thousands stranded in ports.
Humanitarian organizations and aid agencies are also on the ground, working with local authorities to prepare for the storm and assist with evacuations. Philippine Red Cross teams are spread across the east coast, helping to organize first aid teams, food and water, and supplies such as blankets and safety gear.
“Filipinos are tough, but this super typhoon is a blow to millions of people who are still recovering from the devastating storms, floods and Covid-19 of last year,” the president of the Cross said on Thursday. Filipino Red, Richard Gordon, in a press release.
Super Typhoon Rai is the 15th storm to hit the country this year, exacerbating the hardships of those still recovering. Millions of people are still rebuilding their homes and livelihoods, especially after several devastating storms late last year, according to the Red Cross.
Reuters contributed to the report.
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