Seven people have been killed and tens of thousands evacuated their homes as Typhoon Mitag approaches the eastern Philippines, disaster relief agencies said on Sunday.
Six people drowned while one was electrocuted by a fallen power line in the provinces of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte, south-east of Manila, where the initial effects of the typhoon were being felt, the regional disaster office reported.
The approach of Mitag was affected by a tropical storm, named Hagibis, which hit the country last week and which is now heading back, chief government weather forecaster Prisco Nilo said.
Tropical Storm Hagibis had roared out to the South China Sea on November 20, leaving at least 10 dead in this country. But it had turned back and could hit the western island of Palawan by Tuesday evening, forecasters say.
Another low-pressure area was possibly affecting the typhoon’s behaviour as well, said Nilo.
Nilo added it was also possible that Mitag could make a U-turn after hitting the eastern Philippines and head towards southern Japan with Hagibis following in its wake.
The civil defence office in Manila said at least 298 000 people had evacuated their homes in six provinces to avoid possible flash floods, landslides or volcanic mudslides.
The military and police also declared a unilateral suspension of operations against communist insurgents in the areas likely to be affected by the typhoon to allow soldiers and police to focus all their efforts on helping in relief and evacuation efforts, spokespersons of the two organisations said separately.
However, this would not prevent them from carrying out law-enforcement operations or protecting the public from attacks ”that may take place during the suspension of military operations”, said military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Bartolome Bacarro.
President Gloria Arroyo had ordered a ”pre-emptive evacuation” in vulnerable areas to avoid a repeat of the disaster last year when Typhoon Durian struck the Bicol peninsula, killing about 1 200 people and leaving 200 000 homeless.
Mitag, which was initially heading towards Bicol, south-east of Manila, swerved northwards towards the provinces of Aurora and Isabela, north-east of the capital.
By 7am GMT on Sunday, Mitag was still 250km south-east of Aurora, moving north-west at 15km/h, the government weather station said. It was forecast to hit northern provinces late on Sunday at the earliest.
The storm had weakened, packing maximum sustained winds of 160km/h with gusts of 195km/h by Sunday, compared with sustained winds of 175km/h and gusts of 210km/h recorded earlier.
In Bicol, where thousands of people had earlier fled ahead of the storm, some were already leaving evacuation centres and returning home because the typhoon had changed course, said civil defence director Anthony Golez.
But he said that those from flash-flood-prone areas were still being told to remain in evacuation centres as Mitag could still bring heavy rains even if it does not hit the region directly.
Golez said that Arroyo had called the governors of the provinces likely to be hit by the typhoon and they had reported to her that ”everything is under control. They have all stockpiled [supplies] and prepared and evacuated communities that are in danger of flash floods and landslides.”
The highest level of a three-step storm alert remains in force over the north-eastern provinces of Aurora, Isabela, Cagayan and Quirino, which will likely feel the full force of Mitag first.
Lower-level storm alerts have been raised over neighbouring provinces. — AFP
