MANILA:Officials have evacuated almost a million residents in the southern part of the Philippines' main island of Luzon as a category 5 storm - the world's strongest this year - makes landfall on Sunday.
Typhoon Goni, with 215 kph (133 miles) sustained winds and gusts of up to 265 kph (164 mph), will bring violent winds and strong rains, state weather and disaster officials said.
It is among the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines since Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.
"We are having a hard time with COVID-19, and then here comes another disaster," Senator Christopher Go, the top aide of President Rodrigo Duterte, told a virtual news conference.
Local executives should ensure that the virus does not spread in evacuation centres, he said.
Officials have started pre-emptive evacuations, with Albay province bringing 794,000 residents to safety, Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the national disaster agency, told a news conference.
In the capital Manila and nearby Bulacan province, roughly 1,000 COVID-19 patients housed in large isolation tents could be transferred to hotels and hospitals, Jalad said.
The Philippines has the second highest COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, next only to Indonesia, with 380,729 cases and 7,221 deaths.
Typhoon Molave last week killed 22 people, mostly through drowning in provinces south of Manila, which is also in the projected path of Goni, the 18th tropical storm in the country.
The main island of Luzon accounts for more than two thirds of the economy, which fell into recession in the second quarter, and half of the population of more than 108 million.
Relief goods, heavy machinery and personal protective equipment are already positioned in key areas, Filipino Grace America, mayor of Infanta town in Quezon province, told DZBB radio.
"But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our funds for calamity concerns and expenses are insufficient."
Local officials cancelled port operations and barred fishers from setting sail. Airlines cancelled dozens of flights.
Typhoon Goni, moving westward at 25 kph (15.5 mph) from the Pacific Ocean, will bring intense rains over the capital and 21 adjacent provinces early on Sunday, and threats of floods and landslides.
Another typhoon, Atsani, with 55 kph sustained winds and gusts of up to 70 kph, is gaining strength just outside the Philippines.
An average 20 typhoons, bringing heavy rains that trigger deadly landslides, hit the Philippines annually.
Reuters
Sun Nov 01 2020
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard carry a child as they are evacuated to safer ground in Camarines Sur province, eastern Philippines on Saturday Oct. 31, 2020 as they prepare for typhoon Goni. -APpic
Lima kenderaan rosak ditimpa pokok tumbang
Tiada kemalangan jiwa atau kecederaan, hanya lima kenderaan rosak akibat ditimpa pokok berkenaan selain pagar bangunan itu turut rosak.
Afrika Selatan minta ICJ hentikan serangan Israel ke atas Rafah
Afrika Selatan meminta supaya Israel "segera menarik balik dan menghentikan serangan ketenteraannya" di Rafah.
ADTV Bursa Malaysia melonjak 42 peratus kepada RM2.9 bilion dalam empat bulan pertama 2024
Purata nilai dagangan harian (ADTV) Bursa Malaysia melonjak 42 peratus kepada RM2.9 bilion dalam tempoh empat bulan pertama 2024.
Tiara Jacquelina sahkan tiada pementasan Puteri Gunung Ledang dalam masa terdekat
Tiara mendedahkan perancangannya untuk membuka cawangan kedua resort Tiarasa Escapes dan Dream Forest pada hujung tahun ini.
TUDM dijangka bincang perolehan pesawat Hornet pada Jun depan
Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia (TUDM) dijangka mengadakan lawatan ke Kuwait pada Jun depan bagi berunding mengenai perolehan pesawat tempur F/A-18D (Hornet).
Keselamatan pemain jadi keutamaan sepanjang musim Liga Malaysia - Saifuddin Nasution
Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail berkata keselamatan pemain serta seluruh pasukan menjadi keutamaan polis sepanjang musim Liga Malaysia yang bermula semalam.
Guru tampar, cekik murid ditempatkan di Pejabat Pendidikan Islam daerah - Exco
Guru terbabit juga didakwa memarahi beberapa orang murid yang lain dengan mengeluarkan kata-kata kesat.
Fokus Minggu Depan: Keputusan kekal atau bertukar tangan?
Fokus Minggu Depan: Keputusan kekal atau bertukar tangan?
Wartawan Astro AWANI, Ridauddin Daud dan Prof. Madya Dr. Mazlan Ali,
Pensyarah Pusat Perdana, Fakulti Teknologi & Informatik Razak, UTM
Wartawan Astro AWANI, Ridauddin Daud dan Prof. Madya Dr. Mazlan Ali,
Pensyarah Pusat Perdana, Fakulti Teknologi & Informatik Razak, UTM
PM Anwar lawat Qatar mulai Ahad
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim akan melakukan lawatan rasmi ke Qatar dari 12 hingga 14 Mei.
Pusat pengundian ditutup
Lintas langsung bersama Wartawan Astro AWANI, Ridauddin Daud mengenai pusat pengundian Pilihan Raya Kecil DUN Kuala Kubu Baharu ditutup.