The Philippine government put at least 54 provinces on high alert this Saturday after Typhoon Kalmiji (Tino) – which has already left more than 200 people dead and forced a state of disaster declaration – developed into a “super typhoon” category, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Authority (PAGASA), which warned of heavy rains, strong wind gusts and storm surges. Storms. Tornadoes reach heights of up to three metres.
Around 7:00 a.m. (local time), Typhoon also known as Awan – known globally as Vong Wong – reached this category, recording wind gusts between 185 and 230 kilometers per hour, raising alert levels in some parts of the country due to “extremely strong winds posing an immediate danger to life,” according to PAGASA data compiled by The Manila Times.
Since Friday, typhoon warnings have been activated in various areas of Luzon and Visayas, while the “super typhoon” has now continued to advance over the Philippine Sea and approach the Bicol region.
Now, according to the latest bulletin issued by PAGASA, the alert signal has already reached Level 5 – the maximum – in some areas such as Polillo Islands, northern Camarines Norte, the eastern part of Camarines Sur and Catanduanes.
The eye center of this “super hurricane” is expected to pass near Catanduanes on Sunday morning, making landfall in Aurora between the night of the same day and the following Monday morning, with winds that could reach speeds of up to 195 kilometers per hour. But there is a possibility that the system will weaken – descending back into hurricane category – as it passes through the mountains of northern Luzon and before rising to the sea.
Kalmeji will then leave the Philippine-controlled area on Tuesday, return to the northwestern border on Thursday, cross Taiwan and leave the country for good on Friday, according to the Pagasa weather forecast compiled by the Inquirer.net portal.
Meanwhile, the country’s Civil Defense Office urged residents to follow a series of preventive evacuation measures, given the threat posed by the typhoon, which could continue to directly impact as many as 54 provinces, including Metro Manila, in the coming days. The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Organization estimates that this phenomenon could affect more than 60 million people in total, according to the same outlet.
For this reason, preventive evacuations have already begun in low-level and high-risk communities, residents near rivers are recommended to clean up their areas, and those living in landslide-prone areas are recommended not to return to their homes until the authorities consider them safe.
Disaster situation
In this context, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last Thursday – through Proclamation No. 1077 – declared a one-year national state of disaster in order to “accelerate rescue, recovery, assistance and rehabilitation efforts” in the wake of the damage caused by Typhoon Tino.
The aim of this measure, which came into effect from the moment it was announced, is to facilitate a faster and more coordinated humanitarian response, both from the government and the private sector, in the affected areas.
To this end, national and local authorities will be able to use the necessary funds to implement relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes, as well as ensure the provision of basic services to displaced communities.
Furthermore, law enforcement agencies have been instructed, with the support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, to assume responsibility for ensuring order and security in the most affected areas.
Marcos approved the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to declare this state in response to torrential rains, widespread flooding and landslides that killed up to 204 people, as well as thousands of displaced people and severe damage to the country’s agriculture and infrastructure.
The state of catastrophe will continue for a year, unless the President of the Republic decides to lift it urgently, as stated in the aforementioned declaration.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) noted in a report published on Saturday that 204 deaths have so far been recorded, the vast majority of which have been confirmed on Cebu Island, located in the Central Visayas region.
Currently, more than a hundred people are still missing, most of them in Cebu. However, numbers may vary as bodies are identified and search and rescue efforts are carried out, according to information from ABS-CBN Television Network.
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