Megi, a category 2 typhoon with winds of 105 kph, was about
1,300 km east of southern Luzon and moving at 20 kph west northwest toward
Luzon’s Cagayan valley, Nathaniel Servando, a weather bureau official told
reporters.
“We expect it to intensify into a strong typhoon, packing
winds stronger than 150 kph and heavy rains at the rate of 50 mm per hour,”
Servando said, adding the bureau had asked authorities to suspend sea travel
and fishing in northern Philippines.
“Fishermen are advised not to venture over the eastern and
northern coasts of Luzon. Travelers are also advised to avoid landslide-prone
areas.” Megi was gaining strength and was expected to develop into a category 4
typhoon by Saturday evening, Servando said. It was expected to reach northern
Luzon on Monday and head out to the South China Sea on Tuesday, moving toward
Hainan and northern Vietnam.
The storm is not expected to hit the capital Manila unless
it changes direction unexpectedly.
Benito Ramos, a retired general and head of the national
disaster agency, said emergency personnel, including soldiers, had been placed
on alert to provide rescue and relief operations.
“We’re aiming for zero casualty,” Ramos said. Social and
relief workers were preparing possible shelter areas.
In July, typhoon Conson sliced through Manila, killing 22
people and cutting power across the sprawling metropolis of 12 million people.
Last year, the country lost 1.3 million tons of paddy rice
following three strong typhoons in September and October, prompting it to go to
the market early to boost its rice stocks.
Typhoon Ketsana, known locally as Ondoy, dumped record rain
in September 2009 that submerged 80 percent of the capital region and nearby
areas, killing 277 people, making tens of thousands homeless and causing more
than $100 million of damage to crops, infrastructure and property.
