Rai, known as Odette in the Philippines, made landfall at 1:30 p.m. (05:30 GMT) and continues to intensify.
The mighty typhoon rai made landfall on Thursday for the first time in the Philippines on the island of Siargao, reported the meteorological department PAGASA, which has described it as “very destructive.”
Rai, known as Odette in the Philippines, made landfall at 1:30 p.m. (05:30 GMT) and continues to intensify, detailed the meteorology office in its last part.
The typhoon, which is expected to hit Cebu City later in the afternoon, will cross from east to west the south of the central region of the country, including part of Leyte Island, Mindanao and Negros, with sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 240.
The authorities, who have raised the alert to level 4 (out of a maximum of 5) on several islands on the eastern coast of the country, announced before their arrival the evacuation of 45,000 people.
Dozens of flights have been suspended, while maritime transport has been prohibited and land travel in affected regions.
The Pacific Disaster Center, an independent scientific entity in charge of analyzing the consequences of possible natural disasters, pointed out that 15.9 million people reside in the area where the typhoon will transit, which is scheduled to leave Philippine territory on Saturday.
The arrival of Rai, the fifteenth typhoon to pass through the Philippines this year, forced the postponement of much of the massive vaccination campaign planned against covid-19 throughout the regions where the meteorological phenomenon is expected to occur.
One Average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines each year The most destructive was Super Typhoon Haiyan – the largest known to make landfall – which struck the islands of Samar and Leyte in November 2013, killing some 7,000 people and leaving 200,000 families homeless.
The Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis due to natural disasters and, in addition, it sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, an area that accumulates around 90% of the seismic and volcanic activity on the planet. (I)
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