Hurricane Guney – known locally as Rolley – is a Category 5 storm at 215 kilometers per hour (133 mph) with winds and gusts of up to 265 kilometers per hour (164 mph). It will make landfall on Sunday as the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013.
Preventive evacuations have started in coastal and landslide-prone communities in Cammarines Norte and Cammarin Sur districts, while the Albay provincial government will order residents in dangerous areas to leave their homes, Grimel Nas, the local disaster officer, told Radio DZBB. Station.
The authorities face another obstacle as social distancing must be imposed in evacuation centers to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. The Philippines has the second largest number of Covid-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, after only Indonesia.
Filipina Grace America, mayor of the town of Infanta in Quezon Province, told Radio DZBB that relief goods, heavy machinery and personal protective equipment are already in place in key areas. “But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our funds to address disaster and expense concerns are insufficient,” she said.
Local officials canceled port operations and prohibited fishermen from sailing.
Hurricane Goni, moving west at 20 km per hour (12 mph) from the Pacific Ocean, will bring torrential rains over the capital and 14 nearby counties on Saturday evening, and threats of flooding and landslides.
Another typhoon, Atsane, is gaining strength outside the Philippines. About 20 typhoons strike the Philippines every year
