Super typhoon blowing by northern Philippines and Taiwan forces evacuations, closures

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of people were evacuated from northern Philippine villages and schools and offices were closed Monday in the archipelago and neighboring Taiwan as one of the strongest typhoons this year threatened to cause flooding and landslides on its way to southeastern China. Super Typhoon Ragasa had sustained winds of 215 kilometers (134 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 265 kph (165 mph) and was centered east of the island town of Calayan off Cagayan province, Philippine forecasters said. It was heading west at 20 kph (12 mph) and may pass close or make landfall over Cagayan’s Babuyan islands by midday or early afternoon Monday. The Philippines' weather agency warned of coastal inundation, saying “there is a high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights exceeding 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) within the next 24 hours over the low-lying or exposed coastal localities” of the northern provinces of Cagayan, Batanes, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. Power was knocked out on Calayan island and in the entire northern mountain province of Apayao, west of CagWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times