Rescue workers clear a road of debris and toppled electric posts caused by
strong winds due to super Typhoon Mangkhut as they try to reach Baggao town
in Cagayan province, north of Manila, Philippines, September 15, 2018.
(Photo: AFP)
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Mangkhut is expected to land in coastal areas between Zhuhai and
Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province, on Sunday (September 16)
afternoon or evening, bringing gales at the speed of 45 m to 52 m per second,
the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.
It will continue to move northwest after the landing, but its
force will dwindle, the NMC said.
Mangkhut, the 22nd typhoon of the year, could become the
strongest one to make landfall, the NMC said, suggesting local governments
prepare for possible disasters.
The typhoon will bring strong wind and heavy rain to areas along
its route, with some areas expected to experience downpours of up to 80 mm
per hour, the NMC said.
* Some residents living in lower areas have been relocated on
Saturday and flights will be canceled on Sunday as super typhoon Mangkhut
approaches China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Most flights on Sunday will be canceled, affecting about 100,000
passengers, according to the Airport Authority Hong Kong.
A typhoon signal No. 8, the third highest, is likely to be
hoisted as early as 11 p.m. on Saturday night, according to the Hong Kong
Observatory.
The weather in Hong Kong is forecast to turn bad significantly
on Sunday, when Mangkhut is expected to be the closest to Hong Kong.
* All the departments of China's Macao Special Administrative
Region (SAR) government have been fully mobilized since Saturday to take
precautionary measures for incoming super typhoon Mangkhut, the government
spokesman said Saturday.
The marine administrative department will issue a red storm
surge warning at 9 p.m. local time (1300 GMT), a warning in its fourth-level
in situations where floodwater levels are likely to be 1.5 meters to 2.5
meters above road level, government spokesman Chan Chi Ping said.
After the red storm surge warning, the government's evacuation
plan for low-lying areas would be activated as approximately 21,000 people
living in areas prone to serious flooding will be evacuated to safe places.
The meteorological authorities are likely to issue typhoon
signal No. 8 Sunday morning and it is likely that typhoon signal No. 10, the
highest category in the city's typhoon warning system, would be hoisted on
Sunday afternoon.
* More than 50,000 fishermen and nearly 11,000 fishing boats
have been called back to port in east China's Fujian Province as super
typhoon Mangkhut approaches China's southern provinces.
Work has been suspended at more than 1,600 construction sites
and 128 tourist spots have been closed in the province as of Saturday
morning, according to local authorities.
* The north and central regions of Laos have been put on alert
for heavy downpours after weather forecasters warned that Typhoon Mangkhut
and Tropical Storm Barijat are expected to pass over Laos on coming Monday
and Tuesday (September 17-18).
Areas at high risk of damage from storm activity include the
capital and the provinces in central and northern Laos. The weather alert was
issued by the Lao Meteorology and Hydrology Department on September 14.
* At least 13 people died and five others went missing as super
typhoon Mangkhut hit the northern Philippines early Saturday, disaster
officials said.
The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) has yet to release an official casualty report on the
typhoon.
Ricardo Jalad, the executive director of NDRRMC, admitted that
the initial number of casualties will increase in the coming days.
More than 40 landslides have been reported in the Cordillera
region and efforts are underway to clear the roads there, the NDRRMC added.
The typhoon also destroyed houses, toppled trees and displaced
more than 60,000 in several villages in the northern Philippines.
The government is also restoring power supplies in areas that
experienced power outages.
Nearly 5 million Filipinos have been affected by the typhoon,
mostly farmers and fishermen from the provinces.
The super typhoon Mangkhut, which made landfall at 1:40 a.m.
local time on Saturday in the northern Philippines, exited this Southeast
Asian country on Saturday night.
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Source: NDO