Philippines evacuates coastal communities ahead of typhoon

MANILA: The Philippines has started evacuating residents from coastal towns that will be affected by Typhoon Yutu, which is expected to make landfall in the northern part of Luzon island on Tuesday.
The state weather bureau has raised storm warning levels in several provinces, advising the public to take appropriate measures due to possible storm surges, landslides and floods triggered by heavy winds and rain.
Authorities say Yutu has weakened slightly to sustained winds of 150 from 170 km per hour, and gusts of 185 from 210 km per hour.
Ahead of Yutu’s landfall, some residents in the coastal towns of Isabela and Cagayan provinces started moving to evacuation centers, and the mountainous Cordillera region was put on red alert for landslides.
Eduardo Ano, acting secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government, told all local chief executives in regions affected by Yutu to stay in their posts “to personally oversee preparations and do the necessary actions to mitigate the impact of the typhoon on lives and properties.”
It is imperative that they are physically present in their areas so they can “make an intelligent assessment and informed and timely decisions” on what to do, Ano said.
Local officials were told to closely monitor all roads and highways that are highly susceptible to landslides, and classes were suspended in some affected provinces.
Farmers in Isabela have harvested their remaining crops that were not damaged by typhoon Mangkhut, which hit the northern Philippines in September and killed dozens of people.
Yutu will be the 18th typhoon to hit the country this year. The Philippines is affected by an average of 20 typhoons each year.

Philippines evacuates coastal communities ahead of typhoon