The Philippine government has evacuated tens of thousands of people from their homes and cancelled dozens of flights on Saturday, as super typhoon Man-Yi threatens to unleash heavy rains and powerful winds that could trigger storm surges and floods.
Man-Yi is packing winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and was heading for the eastern part of the main island of Luzon, causing the weather agency to sound its second-highest alert for the provinces of Catanduanes and Camarines Sur.
“Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” it announced , using the domestic name for the super typhoon, which is forecasted to make landfall near Catanduanes on Saturday night or early Sunday.
At the time of filing this report, about 180,000 people in the central region of Bicol have been evacuated, going by the data from the disaster agency.
Man-Yi has also forced airlines to cancel dozens of flights in the eastern Visayas region facing the Pacific Ocean.
While Man-Yi was expected to slow down as it moved over the island, the storm would probably stay a typhoon until it reached the South China Sea, the weather agency added.
