Typhoon set to hit northern Philippines
MANILA — Typhoon Nalgae was poised to hit the Philippines on Saturday, threatening more than a million people living in areas still flooded from a previous storm which killed more than 40 people, officials said.
The eye of the typhoon was set to make landfall between 8:00 and 10:00 am (0000-0200 GMT), following roughly the same path as Typhoon Nesat, which ravaged the main island of Luzon on Tuesday, the state weather service said.
Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul warned residents to follow the advice of local officials to prevent more casualties, after Nesat killed at least 48 people and left 30 others missing, according to the latest official tally.
"They should monitor its track and follow the advice of local officials," he said, suggesting some of the victims of Nesat had failed to follow official guidance.
"They were properly warned, but they refused to evacuate," Yumul, who supervises the weather service, said in an interview aired over DZMM radio.
About 1.37 million out of Luzon's 48 million residents were still struggling with floodwaters on Saturday, the government's National Disaster Risk Management Council said.
About 142,000 of the flood victims are staying in state-run evacuation camps, with churches, schools and gymnasiums being cleared to take in more people who could be displaced by the approaching typhoon.
Nesat dumped the biggest single-day volume of rain on the disaster-weary Philippines this year, and Nalgae, with winds of 160 kilometres an hour, was expected to bring just as much over the same areas, the weather service said.
The capital, Manila, is on the edge of the new typhoon's 500-kilometre footprint.
Luzon and nearby islands are hit by an average of 20 major storms a year and those living in the flat farming plains usually prefer to sit out the strong winds and flooding in their homes rather than move to crowded evacuation camps.
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