An aerial photo reveals flooded houses and rice fields in Buguey town, Cagayan province, following Typhoon Yinxing's impact on the Philippines. AFP
Another aerial photo depicts damaged houses in Aparri town, Cagayan province, after Typhoon Yinxing struck the Philippine province. AFP
On Sunday, the government ordered the evacuation of residents from 2,500 villages as Severe Tropical Storm Toraji approached the northern Philippines. This comes after three major cyclones hit the country within a month. Nearly 700,000 people remain in evacuation centers or with relatives after their homes were destroyed by tropical cyclones Trami, Kong-rey, and Yinxing, according to government figures provided to AFP. The previous storms claimed 159 lives, and with Toraji expected to make landfall on Monday, people in 2,500 villages across the northern regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera have been ordered to evacuate, said Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
"The soil in those areas is now very saturated, and the risk of landslides is very high," Remulla stated during a briefing on Sunday. "We cannot stress it enough; the evacuation orders are crucial." Toraji, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 110 km per hour, is anticipated to bring torrential rain and strong winds when it hits the northern provinces of Aurora or Isabela, according to the state weather agency. The military and police have positioned at least 14 aircraft for rescue and food transportation in potentially isolated areas. Sea travel has been suspended, and dams have begun releasing water to prevent flooding, Remulla added.
Toraji's arrival has further complicated recovery efforts from the previous three storms. On Thursday, Typhoon Yinxing struck the country's north coast, resulting in the death of a 12-year-old girl and damaging houses and buildings. Approximately 51,000 people remain displaced in Cagayan province north of Manila, with at least seven towns still without power, according to the provincial disaster agency's report on Sunday. Weeks earlier, Severe Tropical Storm Trami and Super Typhoon Kong-rey together claimed 158 lives, with most attributed to Trami, according to the national disaster agency. About 20 major storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters annually. A recent study indicates that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly, and lasting longer over land due to climate change.
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