700,000 Evacuated ahead of Powerful Typhoon in Philippines

Local Editor

More than 700,000 people fled the central Philippines amid threats of giant waves, floods and landslides as powerful Typhoon Melor approached the archipelago nation.

Meanwhile, the state weather bureau said that "Melor" brushed the northern tip of Samar, a farming island of 1.5 million people early Monday, with winds gusting at 185 kilometers per hour. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

The island was among areas devastated in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, when giant waves wiped out entire communities, leaving 7,350 people dead or missing.

Authorities warned that the typhoon's powerful winds had the potential to whip up four-meter high waves, blow off tin roofs and uproot trees while heavy rains within its 300-kilometer diameter could trigger floods and landslides.

Relatively, in Albay province alone, almost 600,000 people were evacuated due to fears that heavy rains could cause mudslides on the slopes of nearby Mayon Volcano, according to the national disaster monitoring office.

An additional 130,000 people were also evacuated in nearby Sorsogon. "Melor" is expected to cut across the country's central heartlands in the early hours of Tuesday before heading out to the South China Sea in the west.

In the context, Typhoon Koppu, the last deadly storm to hit the country, killed 54 people and forced tens of thousands others to flee their homes after it pummeled the northern Philippines in October.

The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 typhoons annually.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team