Philippines braces for Typhoon Goni

Families being evacuated by the Philippine coast guards. Pic/AFP

The Philippines on Saturday ordered evacuation of coastal villages as it prepares for the onslaught of Typhoon Goni, the strongest tropical cyclone to hit the archipelago this year.

Goni, with maximum winds of 215 km per hour and gusts of up to 265 km per hour, moved closer to the eastern coast of the main island of Luzon on Saturday at 20 km per hour from the Pacific Ocean.

PAGASA, the country's weather bureau, forecasted that Goni would make landfall in Quezon province, southeast of Manila, today. "There remains a possibility that this typhoon will reach Super Typhoon category over the next 12 hours," the bureau said in its latest severe weather bulletin, warning of potential flooding and landslide
in its path.

The bureau alerted the residents of many regions in the Philippines' main island of Luzon, including the capital Manila, to prepare, warning that Goni "will bring heavy to intense rains", destructive winds and a storm surge of up to 3 metres. It warned the surge may "result in life-threatening and damaging coastal inundation," adding "This storm surge may be accompanied by breaking waves reaching the coast."

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