Typhoon hits southern Philippines, moves towards East Sea

Thousands of people in the Philippines have taken shelter in evacuation centers as Typhoon Jelawat swept across the southern island of Mindanao, threatening to cause flooding and landslides, AFP reported.

The storm, named Kabayan, made landfall in the Philippines on the morning of December 18 with winds of up to 65 km/h, according to the Philippine National Weather Service (PAGASA). Earlier, the tropical depression had strengthened into a storm on the evening of December 17 in the eastern sea of the country.

Rescue agencies in the region said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. Earlier, 11,719 people had been evacuated from the eastern and northern coasts of Mindanao ahead of the storm’s landfall.

Bão đổ bộ miền nam Philippines, di chuyển về phía Biển Đông - Ảnh 2. — A sports center in Mindanao is being used as an evacuation site.

Typhoon Jelawat is expected to sweep across the southern region throughout the day and bring heavy rain, especially in mountainous areas.

“Under these conditions, flooding and landslides caused by rains may occur, especially in high-risk or highly vulnerable areas,” according to PAGASA.

Boats were forced to suspend operations in the area where the storm was expected to pass, with 89 boats and nearly 1,000 people forced to seek shelter or stranded at ports.

At 11:00 a.m. on December 18 (local time), The Philippine Star newspaper quoted information from PAGASA saying that the storm had weakened into a tropical depression in the Davao Oriental province area with winds of up to 55 km/h, gusts of 90 km/h and continued to move west.

Bão đổ bộ miền nam Philippines, di chuyển về phía Biển Đông - Ảnh 3. — Residents living near Angat Dam in Bulacan province warned to evacuate ahead of storm

According to Rappler , citing a forecast from PAGASA, the low pressure area may enter the southwestern Philippines and is likely to strengthen, although the forecast path and intensity may change.

The Philippines averages 20 storms a year. However, Jelawat is only the 11th storm this year, a low that matches 1998.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in the next 24-48 hours, the low pressure will move in a west-northwest direction.

At 7:00 a.m. on December 20, the low pressure entered the East Sea in a west-northwest direction at a speed of 20-25 km/h, affecting the southeast area of the central East Sea and the northeast area of the southern East Sea.

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