In terms of strength, it is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic. After making landfall, the Goni rating was downgraded to a hurricane, with sustained winds slowing slightly to 215 km / h (140 mph).
Provincial Governor Francis Bechara said that there have been four deaths reported so far, including one in which a five-year-old boy was hit by a tree and swept away after a river overflowed. The disaster management agency was unable to confirm the report.
Video footage broadcast by news channels and on social media showed rivers flooding and demolishing some dams, which led to the inundation of villages in Bicol.
Philippine authorities have evacuated nearly a million people to safer land as Goni, known locally as Rolle, approached the eastern provinces. On a Sunday morning, it made landfall in Catanduanes and Alpay in the Bicol region.
The Philippines Met Office said that “catastrophic violent winds and torrential rains” are expected to prevail in the Bicol provinces, as well as parts of Quezon, Laguna and Batangas, south of the capital, Manila.
The capital, Manila, is currently on the projected path for Johnny, the country’s 18th tropical storm so far this year, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting “torrential” rains and surges in the city.
Weather forecaster Lori Dela Cruz told a radio station that he was expected to hit the Quezon region third later in the day.
Alerts have been issued about the outbreak of storms, while officials have also reminded those in evacuation centers to monitor social distancing because the spread of the coronavirus is also a concern.
Dozens of international and domestic flights have been canceled as the Civil Aviation Authority ordered Manila’s main gateway, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, to be closed for one day.
Johnny is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines since Super Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.
Tropical Storm Atsane was still more than 1,200 km (745.6 miles) east of the Philippines at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday and much weaker than Goni, but Bajasa said it was likely to get stronger on Sunday and Monday.
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