Storm-worn Philippines battles sixth typhoon in a month

The Philippines is reeling after Super Typhoon Man-yi, the unprecedented fourth major typhoon to strike in less than two weeks — and its sixth storm overall in a month — battered the country with devastating force.

Making its first landfall Saturday night on Catanduanes Island with winds peaking at 305 kilometers (189 miles) per hour, Man-yi, locally known as “Pepito,” sent more than a million people scrambling to safety, many to evacuation centers already crowded from previous storms. “We are terrified of the typhoon, as it may intensify and the waters can rise,” evacuee Glenda Llamas told the AFP news agency, as per the BBC.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in the Philippines for a diplomatic visit, pledged direct support and $1 million in aid.

So far, the country has reported eight deaths from Man-yi, adding to more than 160 from its predecessors. “Villagers tell us here that they still haven’t gotten up from the past storm and were pinned down again by this typhoon,” Roberto Monterola, a Catanduanes-based disaster-mitigation officer, told the Associated Press. The officer also described hearing winds with an “eerie howling sound” and seeing tidal surges of over 7 meters (23 feet) near seaside homes.

As climate experts warn that warming oceans are fueling more intense and frequent storms, Filipino civil defense chief Ariel Nepomuceno called for vigilance, telling Reuters, “It is more dangerous now for those in landslide-prone areas because the ground has been saturated by the consecutive typhoons.”

Share this Article