The Philippines evacuated eastern coastal areas, suspended ferry services and closed schools in parts of the main Luzon island on Tuesday as the strongest storm to hit the country since Typhoon Haiyan last year charted a direct course for the capital Manila, according to The Associated Press.
Typhoon Rammasun, with gusts of up to 93 mph and maximum winds of 75 mph near the center, was expected to make landfall over the eastern province of Albay and Sorsogon within hours, the AP reported.
Tropical Storm Risk described Rammasun, expected to bring moderate to intense rainfall of up to 25 mm per hour within its 300-mile radius, as a category-one typhoon in a scale of one to five, according to the AP.
It is the strongest storm to threaten the country since Haiyan, a category-five "super typhoon", wiped out nearly everything in its path when it crossed the central Philippines in November, the AP reported. On its current path, it will also be the first to score a direct hit on Manila in at least four years, the weather bureau said.
The storm will pass north of Eastern Samar and Leyte, the provinces worst hit by Haiyan, where some residents are still living in tent cities due to the slow progress in typhoon rebuilding, but these areas may still experience heavy rain and strong winds, according to the AP.
Storm surges of up to three meters were expected in coastal villages, the weather bureau said, the AP reported.
Albay province has ordered the evacuation of low-lying and coastal areas, as well as landslide-prone villages, the province's website said, according to the AP.
Schools suspended classes in several cities, including in the capital, Manila, in the typhoon's expected path and about 50 domestic flights and four international flights have been cancelled due to bad weather, the AP reported.
The first impact from Rammasun is expected to be felt in metropolitan Manila late Tuesday, then it is forecast to blow across or near the flood-prone capital of 12 million people before passing through rice-growing northern provinces before starting to move into the South China Sea late Wednesday, forecasters said, according to the AP.
