The Philippines was hit by the fifth storm in less than a month

Photo:Pixabay

The Philippines issued five storm warnings in three weeks including Typhoon Toraji which forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. Fortunately the typhoon soon weakened to a tropical storm and moved out to sea.

Another of the storms is currently located two days off the coast of the most populous island of Luzon. The National Weather Service said the storm continued to gain strength. If it doesn't change direction it should hit the island during Thursday.

The Philippine government said around 32,000 residents were evacuated on Monday before Typhoon Toraji made landfall. Evacuations took place mainly in vulnerable areas of the northern Philippines. This is where the storms Trami, Typhoon Yinxin and Super Typhoon Kong-rey recently raged.

Typhoon Trami brought extreme rainfall to the Philippines triggering flash floods and landslides. Typhoon Toraji also caused flooding and significant damage but evacuations were not ordered. At present, there is great concern that Storm Usagi will bring very strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Storm Usagi continues to strengthen and is currently packing winds of 8 kilometers per hour. It could reach typhoon strength by Wednesday. Rough seas and high waves will be a threat to all vessels in the area. That is why warnings were issued in time.

The government also states that after the ravages of Typhoon Toraji around fifteen thousand residents are still hiding in evacuation centers. Public utility workers are gradually repairing bridges and restoring electricity supplies. The extent of the damage is unknown but dozens of cities were left without power.

The weather service also warns that Tropical Storm Man-yi is headed from the Northern Mariana Islands and could reach the Philippines as early as next week.

Source:Aljazeera/Editorial