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The AP said it was the first typhoon to hit the Philippines this year. It rapidly increased in strength when it moved from the Pacific to the city of San Policarpio, Eastern Samar province at noon 14-5 (local time).
The storm, called Vongfong, sustains winds of 150 km / h, sometimes above 185 km / h. It is expected to move in a northwest direction, hitting eastern provinces and densely populated cities before heading north this weekend.
Philippine authorities have to evacuate tens of thousands of people as they try to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic due to the risk of overcrowded shelters. The video shows heavy rains and strong winds that obscure visibility in eastern Samar, leaving some cities without electricity.
A strong storm hit the eastern Philippines on May 14. Photo: Gulf News
Dark clouds danced in the Manila sky on May 14. Photo: AP
Mayor Benjamin Ver told the AP by phone that the storm was very difficult. In the event that people are housed in a concentrated shelter, the social spacing method to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will not work.
East Samar province governor (with around 500,000 residents) Ben Evardone said it was fortunate that the province was not as affected by Covid-19 as the surrounding areas. All of the former emergency shelters have been converted to quarantine facilities, storing the necessary medical equipment, but now, they can become evacuation centers if many people need to be relocated.
The Vongfong typhoon landed in the province of Eastern Samar. Photo: Twitter
Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan has called for twice as many schools to be converted into shelters for some 80,000 people to be evacuated from high-risk coastal villages. “Previously, we used 10 schools. Now we need 20 buildings to accommodate the social gap,” said the Ongchuan governor.
The Philippines’ weather forecast agency warned that Vongfong typhoons accompanied by high waves could cause coastal flooding, potentially threatening people’s lives. Only Manila is not expected to be directly hit by the storm, but could be blown away by strong winds. Local officials are advised to remove quarantine cabins outside of hospitals, as they can fly.
The eastern part of the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing and more than 5 million displaced. All the towns there have been razed.
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