Typhoon Doksuri Pounds Northern Philippines, Killing at Least One
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A powerful storm pounded the northern Philippines on Wednesday, killing at least one person, toppling trees and knocking out power as thousands sheltered with neighbors or in emergency evacuation centers. Typhoon Doksuri was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 175 kilometers an hour (110 mph) as it hovered over waters around Dalupiri Island, off the northern tip of the main island of Luzon, the state weather agency said in its latest update at 0300 GMT.
The agency warned of "violent, life-threatening conditions" as severe winds and heavy rain pounded the lightly populated region. A woman selling bread rolls died when she was hit by a falling coconut tree in Ramon municipality in the northern province of Isabela on Wednesday, provincial disaster official Constante Foronda told AFP.
Rey Aguinaldo, a retired government official in the coastal municipality of Pasuquin in Ilocos Norte province, said, "The wind and rain were so strong overnight I could not sleep well." "When I got up today I saw fallen trees and broken branches outside. We have no electricity," Aguinaldo told AFP.
Doksuri had been a super typhoon as it swept across the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday but weakened as it neared the Philippines. It is expected to weaken further as it moves across the South China Sea, grazing Taiwan as it heads towards southeast China. High waves lashed Taiwan's southeastern coast on Wednesday, with the Central Weather Bureau issuing warnings and heavy rain advisories. China also issued its highest alert for Doksuri, stopping trains and calling fishing boats to shore as the storm approaches. It is expected to weaken before it makes landfall on Friday morning.
In the Philippines, around 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Cagayan province, including 431 in the Babuyan islands, following warnings of three-meter storm surges, Cagayan provincial disaster official Ruelie Rapsing told AFP. Dalupiri is one of the five islands that make up the tiny Babuyan archipelago. Flooding has also been reported in the coastal municipalities of Lallo, Pamplona and Claveria. About 1,500 people were also evacuated from coastal communities in neighboring Isabela, Foronda said.
"We won't allow them to go home until we get the all clear from the experts," he said. Some evacuees have sheltered with neighbors who had concrete houses, while others were taken to municipal halls. "The roof of the Sanchez Mira municipal hall was blown off," Rapsing said. "The windows of an evacuation center there also broke so we had to move them to multi-purpose halls back in their villages."
The weather agency also warned the typhoon had intensified the seasonal southwest monsoon, bringing heavy rains across the rest of Luzon and the central islands.
As Typhoon Doksuri pounded the northern Philippines on Wednesday, it left at least one person dead, uprooted trees, and caused power outages in the region. The typhoon's maximum sustained wind speeds of 175 kilometers an hour (110 mph) caused "violent, life-threatening conditions" as it hovered over waters around Dalupiri Island, off the northern tip of the main island of Luzon.
A woman selling bread rolls died when she was hit by a falling coconut tree in Ramon municipality in the northern province of Isabela. Retired government official Rey Aguinaldo in the coastal municipality of Pasuquin in Ilocos Norte province reported that he saw fallen trees and broken branches outside and that they had no electricity.
Doksuri had been a super typhoon as it swept across the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday but weakened as it neared the Philippines. It is expected to weaken further as it moves across the South China Sea, grazing Taiwan as it heads towards southeast China. China issued its highest alert for Doksuri, stopping trains and calling fishing boats to shore as the storm approaches. It is expected to weaken before it makes landfall on Friday morning.
In the Philippines, around 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Cagayan province, including 431 in the Babuyan islands, following warnings of three-meter storm surges. About 1,500 people were also evacuated from coastal communities in neighboring Isabela. The weather agency also warned the typhoon had intensified the seasonal southwest monsoon, bringing heavy rains across the rest of Luzon and the central islands.
The Philippines is no stranger to powerful storms. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people and left millions homeless. As Typhoon Doksuri continues to move across the South China Sea, it is important to stay alert and evacuate to safe areas if necessary. The Philippine government is taking all necessary steps to keep citizens safe, but it is also important for individuals to take responsibility for their own safety and well-being.
