[ad_1]
Residents stand on the roof of their house after a river overflowed due to heavy rains caused by super typhoon Goni, which flooded houses in Daraga, Albay province, south of Manila. Photo of the brochure taken on November 1, 2020 from Alejandro Miraflor’s Facebook page
Image Credit: Alejandro Miraflor / Facebook
MANILA: A super typhoon brought strong winds into the Philippine capital after hitting the southern part of the main island of Luzon on Sunday, and authorities reported at least four deaths, power outages, infrastructure damage and flash flooding.
A scene in Manila before dark on November 1, 2020 when Goni arrived in the capital.
Courtesy: Millie Lim
The meteorological office downgraded Goni, the world’s strongest storm so far this year, to typhoon category, with sustained winds of 215 kph (140 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 290 kph (180 mph) after that made landfall in the Bicol region.
347,000
number of people evacuated
Tropical storm wind alerts were lowered elsewhere, but the weather agency warned in its 0300 GMT bulletin that Goni still posed a threat as it traversed provinces south of the capital Manila. Goni made landfall at two locations in the Bicol region, where four deaths were reported, provincial governor Al Francis Bichara said, including one struck by a tree and a five-year-old boy washed away by a river overflow.
The meteorological agency warns that Goni still poses a threat as it traverses provinces south of the capital Manila.
Courtesy: Millie Lim
The disaster management agency could not confirm the report. Video images from news channels and social media showed overflowing rivers and some levees destroyed, submerging villages in Bicol. Bichara also received reports of volcanic mud flows, as well as power outages and communication services. In Quezón, Governor Danilo Suárez said power was cut off in 10 towns when Goni felled trees.
A view of the southern part of Manila when Goni attacks.
Courtesy of Giuseppe Alden Hilotin
Millions affected
Between 19 million and 31 million people could be affected by the typhoon, including those in danger zones and in the Manila metropolitan area, the disaster management agency said. About 347,000 people were in evacuation centers, disaster management chief Ricardo Jalad said, lowering the nearly one million figure reported by the agency.
Goni hit the capital as darkness fell.Here is a view of Manila International Airport taken around 6 p.m. Philippine time on November 1, 2020.
President Rodrigo Duterte was monitoring the government’s response to the disaster from his southern hometown, Davao City, according to presidential spokesman Harry Roque.
A scene near the Cagsawa ruins in Albay province, Philippines, showing mud washed away by runoff from the Mayon volcano damaging the main entrance to the popular tourist site. Facebook photo posted by AJ Miraflor on Nov 1, 2020.
Image Credit: Facebook / AJ Miraflor
Health officials reminded those at evacuation centers to observe social distancing, as the spread of the coronavirus is also a concern. Dozens of domestic and international flights were canceled because the civil aviation authority ordered the one-day closure of Manila’s main entrance, Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Goni is among the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines since Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013. It follows Typhoon Molave, which hit the Philippines last month and killed 22 people, mostly by drowning in provinces south of Manila. . The meteorological office said it was also monitoring another cyclone, Tropical Storm Atsani, which could hit northern Luzon provinces in the coming days.
A car partially buried by the mudflow from the Mayon volcano in Albay province in the eastern Philippines. Photo taken on November 1, 2020.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Vince Villar
