Intense typhoon kills Five in Philippines

Typhoon Noru, which hit the main island of the Philippines, has killed five rescue workers.

Daniel Fernando, Governor for the Bulacan area, said the five personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices were victims of the flash floods while carrying out rescue operations in the district of San Miguel.

“I think we may have gotten lucky, at least this time,” Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos said during a briefing on Monday.

“It’s not yet over. I think the point when we can stand down is when the majority of evacuees are already back in their homes,” he added.

Mr. Marcos ordered that supplies be airlifted and equipment be made available to communities that are at the receiving end of the disaster.

Typhoon Noru, widely known as Karding, weakened as it made the second landfall at 20:20 local time (12:20 GMT) on Sunday, and is expected to leave the Philippines by Monday evening.

Also Read: The Philippines evacuates coasts as super-typhoon approaches

Reports revealed that Noru is the strongest storm recorded so far to have hit the Philippines this year.

Typhoon Noru, previously noted as a super typhoon, has caused gusts, up to 240kph (149mph) on Luzon, the most populous place in the country, harboring about 110 million people.

Forecasts also reveal that the storm experienced an explosive intensification as it made landfall west of Luzon.

More than 74,000 people have been evacuated from the typhoon’s path, as officials had earlier issued warnings of serious flooding in marked areas of the capital, especially Manila.

Meanwhile, in 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded, killed not less than 6,300 people.

Samuel Omowumi Racheal