More than 720,000 evacuated as Typhoon Nona threatens central Philippines

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from central Philippines on Monday as a typhoon with winds of up to 150 kph (95 mph) made landfall, dumping heavy rain that could cause flooding, landslides and storm surges, authorities warned.

About 40 domestic flights were grounded, while 73 ferries and hundreds of fishing boats were ordered to remain in port as Typhoon Nona (Melor) hit the village of Batag on the northern tip of Samar island.

Nona is expected to roll across nearby islands before making another landfall later on Monday close to Sorsogon, about 385 km (240 miles) southeast of Manila, on the heavily populated main island of Luzon.

Melor was plotting a similar path to Yolanda (Haiyan), a category 5 typhoon that struck central Philippines in 2013. Almost 8,000 people were killed or left missing by Yolanda.

Disaster authorities have temporarily closed schools and some offices and evacuated a total of 724,839 people in Sorsogon and Albay provices in Bicol and Northern Samar.

A total of 7,934 people were stranded ports in Bicol, Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas and Western after the Coast Guard stopped ferries and fishing boats from leaving ports in the central Philippines.

"Melor is a very compact typhoon, so that will prevent its most devastating impacts from extending too far from its centre," said AccuWeather meteorologist Adam Douty.

He said the typhoon had weakened a little as it encountered drier air early on Monday. "While Melor will not slam onshore as a super typhoon as once feared, it still poses dangers to lives and property," Douty said.

Alexander Pama, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said Nona was expected to cause flooding, landslides and storm surges of up to 4 meters (13 feet) and disrupt power and communications.
About 20 provinces, some around Manila, are under public storm alert due to strong winds and torrential rains of up to 300 mm (12 inches) within a 300 km (185 miles) radius.

About 20 major typhoons pass through the Philippines each year. — Reuters with GMA News