The country’s meteorological agency PAGASA said on Saturday that it had made landfall over Panganiban on the eastern island province of Catanduanes at around 9:40 p.m. local time (1340 GMT/UTC).
Man-yi, or Pepito as it is known locally, is the sixth major storm to hit the Philippines in the past month.
This was the first time this had happened in November — outside of the peak cyclone season between July and October — since records began in 1951, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
The country’s volcanology agency also warned heavy rain could trigger flows of volcanic sediment, or lahars, from three volcanos, including Taal, south of the capital, Manila.
The five storms that have battered the Philippines in recent weeks have already killed at least 163 people and left thousands homeless while destroying crops and livestock.
With maximum sustained winds of about 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour and even higher wind gusts, Super Typhoon Man-yi is starting to move across the archipelago nation, and the Philippines is once again preparing for a powerful storm.
It reached land over Panganiban on the eastern island province of Catanduanes at approximately 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, according to the nation’s meteorological agency PAGASA. A. time zone (1340 GMT/UTC).
Over the course of the following day, it was expected to move west across some of the more populated parts of the country, passing north of the capital, Manila, at its center.
The Philippines has experienced six significant storms in the last month, including Man-yi, or Pepito as it is known locally.
This month, four storms developed at the same time in the western Pacific. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, this occurred in November for the first time since records began in 1951, outside of the peak cyclone season, which runs from July to October.
uncommon weather event.
In a radio interview on Saturday, a disaster official stated that over half a million people had evacuated their homes in anticipation of Man-yi’s arrival, while the state weather forecaster issued a warning about “significant to severe impacts” from the winds and “life-threatening” storm surges.
Heavy rains could cause lahars, or flows of volcanic sediment, from three volcanoes, including Taal, which is located south of Manila, the nation’s volcanology agency warned.
As heavy rain was predicted for the eastern provinces and Metro Manila over the weekend, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed authorities on Friday to prepare ahead of time by stockpiling food and other supplies and urging citizens to seek shelter.
Here, we need to put in a little more effort. Because of the saturation and the damage to homes, infrastructure, and other assets, we are already in a bad situation,” Marcos stated during a situation briefing.
In the past few weeks, the Philippines has been hit by five storms that have destroyed crops and livestock, killed at least 163 people, and left thousands homeless.
Even in an area that typically experiences 20 typhoons annually, such a cluster of storms is uncommon, and scientists say it is most likely a result of human-induced climate change, which is raising ocean temperatures to dangerously high levels.
msh/dj (AFP, Reuters) and tj.
