Typhoon Doksuri lashed northern Philippines as gale-force winds and torrential rain hit the country on Wednesday (July 26). Rivers burst their banks and effect on power grid left thousands of people without electricity.
Rain affected coastal communities and affected isolated villages tucked away in tropical forests.
Reuters reported that the adverse weather caused 1 death while AFP said that there were six deaths. Many People have been moved to safer areas.
The storm brought in winds of up to 175 kilometres per hour (108 miles per hour).
“We’re being battered here,” Manuel Mamba, governor of the northern corn-growing Cagayan province, told Reuters.
The storm has been classified as a super typhoon by China’s Meteorological Administration. Typhoon Doksuri is nearly 900 km (560 miles) across. It is expected that it will sustain its strength as it continues towards Taiwan and China’s mainland.
China’s weather agency has already raised its storm alert to the second-highest tier. Guangdong province, which has a manufacturing hub has warned of the worst storm in a decade.
It is expected that Doksuri will make a landfall in China on Friday (July 28). It will be the second landfall of a typhoon after Typhoon Talim slammed into Guangdong on July 17.
Philippine coast guard has said that 4000 passengers were stranded at ports across the country as sea travel was suspended.
In Taiwan, there are signs that people are panic buying and stocking up on essentials fearing storm would paralyse cities and villages.
“I come to buy vegetables and meat to prepare for the typhoon, but there’s nothing left,” local TV network CTS cited Lin, a shopper in the southeast city of Taitung, as saying.
“The shelves are empty, everything is sold out,” she said.
Lin was quoted by Reuters.
Authorities in Taiwan have issued warnings for several counties and cities in the south including Kaohsiung.
In southern and eastern Taiwan, more than 300 people have been evacuated as a precautionary measure. Typhoon Doksuri is expected to cause up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) of rain.
Approach of the typhoon has affected air and rail travel in Taiwan. Ferry services to the Taiwanese governed islands of Kinmen and Matsu from the Chinese mainland were all halted.
Guangzhou Daily, a state-run news outlet has reported that Typhoon Doksuri can be the strongest typhoon that has landed or seriously affected eastern Guangdong in a decade.
China has upgraded its emergency response from Level 3 to Level 2. This means that oncoming typhoon is expected to severely affect the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
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