Super Typhoon Rai hits the Philippines; thousands are taken from homes

Super typhoon Rai arrived in the Philippines this Thursday (16) and has already forced the evacuation of at least 198,000 people. The country's Red Cross said it is considered "one of the strongest storms in the world in 2021".

According to the Philippines Meteorological Agency, the typhoon hit the coast of the island of Siargao at 1:30 pm local time, with winds of 195 kilometers per hour (km/h), just before reaching the island, and recorded winds reaching 240 km /H.

Storm Rai is considered a super typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most destructive to hit the Philippines this year, the meteorological agency reported.

Very strong and destructive winds can cause “severe or even very severe damage” to structures and vegetation. Landslides and floods could also occur along the coast, he warned.

The National Disaster Prevention Agency said more than 198,000 people were forced to leave their homes to seek shelter, including Filipino tourists, preventively displaced to shelters. Foreign tourists are still unable to travel to the country due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Eight regions in the central and southern island groups were placed at the highest level of the emergency preparedness and response protocol.

bitter blow

The typhoon occurs at a particularly late time, as most tropical cyclones in the Pacific Ocean occur between July and October.

Super typhoon Rai is expected to cross the Philippines in the coming days, passing through the islands of Mindanao and Palawan. It is expected to reach the South China Sea on Saturday (18), heading towards Vietnam.

Consisting of more than 7,000 islands, the Philippine territory is considered one of the most vulnerable in the world with regard to global warming. Every year, the Philippines is hit by an average of 20 typhoons, which constantly affect populations, crops and infrastructure in several poor regions of the country.

In October, at least 11 people died and seven are still missing from Typhoon Kompasu.

This year, super typhoon Rai is the 15th to hit the country. Locally designated as Typhoon Odette, it is "one of the strongest storms in the world in 2021" and "threatens millions of people with destructive winds and floods," says the Red Cross.

“The Filipinos are resilient, but this super typhoon is a bitter blow to millions of people who are still recovering from other devastating storms, floods and covid-19,” said Richard Gordon, president of the Philippine Red Cross.

In response to the approaching super typhoon, several companies closed their doors and classes were suspended. The national vaccination campaign against covid-19 was also stopped.

Text translated using artificial intelligence.