Philippines: “Super-Typhoon” Roy – 12/16/2021 Thousands leave at 5:33 pm

Residents of Cagayan de Oro, with the help of the Coast Guard, were evacuated from their homes on December 16, 2021 on Mindanao Island (Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / Guide) by Super-Typhoon Roy.

Residents of Cagayan de Oro, with the help of the Coast Guard, were evacuated from their homes on December 16, 2021 on Mindanao Island (Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) / Guide) by Super-Typhoon Roy.

“Super typhoon” Roy hit the Philippines on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, officials say, as the Red Cross warns of a “monstrous” and “terrifying” storm.

The Philippine Meteorological Agency said the hurricane made landfall near the tourist island of Sierra Leone at 1:30 a.m. (05:30 GMT). The wind is blowing at a speed of 195 km per hour.

“This terrible storm is frightening and threatens to hit coastal communities like a freight train,” warned Alberto Bocenegra, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cross Societies in the Philippines. “We are concerned that climate change will make the hurricane increasingly severe and unpredictable.”

Roy is a “super-typhoon” equivalent to Type 5 hurricane in the United States, of which about five occur worldwide. The Center for Meteorology said that this is the strongest hurricane to hit the Philippines this year.

“Extremely destructive” winds “can cause severe or very severe damage to structures and vegetation,” he said, warning of landslides and dangerous flooding along the coast.

– Late hurricane –

“Get ready for heavy rain, get ready for strong winds,” meteorologist Christopher Perez told a news conference, adding that the wind was “enough to pull utility poles and trees.”

Super-typhoon route to the Philippines and China on December 16 (AFP /)

Super-typhoon route to the Philippines and China on December 16 (AFP /)

A verified video shot by tourists on the island of Sierraga showed the trees swaying strongly in the wind.

According to the National Disaster Prevention Agency, more than 90,000 people have fled their homes and taken refuge in shelters, with many Filipino tourists – foreign tourists still unable to enter the country due to the epidemic – using beaches and scuba diving in the region. .

In Taba, families slept on the floor of a playground that had been converted into a dormitory.

Tourists flock to the Refugee Sports Complex at Tappa on the island of Siarkov in the Philippines on December 16, 2021 (AFP / Roel CATOTO)

Tourists flock to the Refugee Sports Complex at Tappa on the island of Siarkov in the Philippines on December 16, 2021 (AFP / Roel CATOTO)

At Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao, the Coast Guard used an inflatable boat, life mats and stretchers to rescue those trapped near a swollen stream in flooded homes.

Nita Delito, 56, who owns a restaurant in the central island province of Bohol, says “I’m so scared” where strong winds tore down roofs and uprooted trees.

“There have been many hurricanes here before, and it was great. It’s weird,” he told the AFP.

So far no casualties or injuries have been reported.

Communication was cut off in some areas.

Roy is a particularly late season hurricane. Most tropical cyclones form in the Pacific Ocean between July and October.

RAMMB / CIRA satellite image of Super Typhoon Roy near the Philippines on December 16, 2021 at 0500 UTC (RAMMB / CIRA / -)

RAMMB / CIRA satellite image of Super Typhoon Roy near the Philippines on December 16, 2021 at 0500 UTC (RAMMB / CIRA / -)

The hurricane is expected to make landfall in the Philippines in the coming days, crossing the islands of Mindanao and Palawan and heading towards Vietnam via the South China Sea on Saturday.

The Philippines, considered one of the most vulnerable countries to global warming, is hit by about 20 hurricanes each year, often destroying homes, crops and infrastructure in already poorer areas.

mff-rbl-amj / reb / ​​roc / nzg / oaa

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