Mass evacuations as Typhoon Usagi hits Philippines

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate northeastern areas of the Philippines as Typhoon Usagi made landfall on Thursday, marking the fifth major storm to hit the island nation in less than a month.

Government data showed that more than 24,000 people have been evacuated from Cagayan province in the northern Luzon region, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital Manilla.

Usagi, known locally as Ofel, was packing winds of up to 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph) when it slammed into the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province.

"We are expecting the Cagayan river to swell again because of rains brought by Usagi," said Rueli Rapsing, head of the Cagayan disaster relief office.

Among those who have received evacuation orders are people who have already been forced to flee earlier typhoons Trami and Kong-rey in October, which left around 160 dead and devastated farmland and infrastructure.

After Usagi, a sixth tropical storm, Man-yi, is forecast to hit the central Philippines on Saturday, with the government cautioning against all non-essential travel in the central and northern areas of the country.

The Philippine weather agency warned of tidal surges of up to three meters (nearly 10 feet) in coastal areas and clusters of islands, urging ships to remain in port or immediately take shelter.

Philippines receives aid from Singapore, Indonesia, United States

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration has spent more than 1 billion pesos ($17 million) on food and other aid for hundreds of thousands of storm victims, while also seeking help from neighboring countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysiaand Brunei.

The United States has also deployed cargo aircraft with food and other assistance, while the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines said it was raising $32.9 million to help women, children and people with disabilities in particular.

"The Philippines is facing an exceptionally challenging tropical cyclone season, with successive cyclones reaching unprecedented locations and scales," the UN team said in its emergency plan.

"Local authorities, who are often impacted themselves, are overwhelmed as they simultaneously respond to the crisis and coordinate rescue efforts for affected families."

The Philippines is struck by around 20 tropical storms per year on average, resulting in heavy rains, strong winds and deadly landslides.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

mf/lo (Reuters, AP)