Super Typhoon Koppu Hits Northern Philippines, Thousands Evacuated

Super Typhoon Koppu hit the northern Philippines' Luzon Island Sunday morning, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate.

Koppu made its first landfall in the coastal town of Casiguran around 1 a.m. local time with maximum sustain winds between 175 to 185 kilometers per hour, reported The Philippines Star. More than 6500 people evacuated from their homes in the coastal town.

The powerful storm, locally known as Typhoon Lando, is expected to bring heavy rains and possible flooding and landslides to the northern parts of the Philippines in the next two-three days, the country's forecasters warned.

"We are looking at the possible worst scenario, not to scare but to allow us to prepare," the country's acting weather bureau chief Esperanza Cayanan said about Koppu, which will possibly be the second most powerful storm to hit the disaster-prone nation this year. "If it stays 24 hours ... and the downpour is sustained, we will surely have floods and landslides," Cayanan added, according to DW.

President Benigno Aquino issued a Typhoon warning Friday and advised residents to prepare. "Your government is here in order to ensure that we will meet our goal of zero casualties," Aquino said in a televised appearance, according to the Associated Press. "But I must emphasise each local government unit, community and Filipino that will be affected has the duty to cooperate ... to overcome the challenges ahead," he added.

Koppu, the 12th Typhoon to hit the Philippines' this year, entered the ocean surface nearly 450 kilometers northeast of the capital Manila Saturday with a speed of 49 meters per second, according to Xinhua.

Check out Koppu updates here.

Tags

Typhoon, Philippines, Island, Manila