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Tropical storm Vongfong has hit the ground with strong gusts and waterfalls. Videos from San Policarpio in the Eastern Samar region show storms and trees shaking in strong winds. Some villages have lost power.
Sustained wind force was measured at 43 meters per second before the storm hit the ground, and wind gusts were up to 53 meters per second.
The storm, locally called “Ambo,” is moving at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour. The northern and eastern provinces of Samar know the weather first, before moving on to Sorsogon. The weather system is likely to be even more intense, the wind stronger and reaching typhoon levels early Friday.
Crown complicates
Overcrowded shelters are common in the country, which is affected by an average of 20 cyclones each year, which often causes flooding, landslides, and other accidents. As a result, local authorities face a difficult dilemma in many places: protecting the population from the typhoon or risking the spread of the coronavirus.
– This is very complicated, says Mayor Benjamin Ver in the city of Jipapad.
Social distancing is practically impossible, says Ver, who is mayor and doctor in the city and who fortunately has not registered any coronary cases. Ver has secured a bite for the population and is now looking for alternative places of refuge.
So far, some 11,600 people have been confirmed to be infected in the country and 772 viruses have died.
20 provinces are affected
Vongfong is expected to arrive in the capital Manila later this week, according to the country’s weather service.
Residents are asked to prepare for floods and landslides, and local emergency teams are ready. Several thousand residents of the aforementioned provinces have already evacuated their homes and sought refuge from their relatives. Permission is also granted to seek refuge in empty schools and premises for patients with coronavirus in isolation. A total of 20 provinces are expected to be affected.
One of the strongest typhoons in recent history, Haiyan, hit the Philippines in November 2013. More than 7,300 people died and 4 million lost their homes.
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