Two women have died in a landslide and torrential rain continues. The typhoon made landfall before dawn in the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province on the northern tip of Luzon Island.
More than five million people were at risk from the storm, which the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Centre downgraded from a super typhoon but said was still punching powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category four Atlantic hurricane.
Mark Bulpitt, Head of Fragile States & Emergency Response at Christian charity World Vision told Premier: “We’re taking this as a very serious typhoon. It’s expected to hit at 200 kilomentres an hour and you compare that to Typhooon Haiyan…which was the strongest ever typhoon to hit the Philippines.”
Mark explained how several people are there, ready to offer aid as soon as it’s safe: “World Vision is in the Philippines and we have been there for 60 years – we have a lot of dedicated staff that have expertise in responding to crises like this. They have worked in 16 crises in the last 5 years alone.
“We’ve already pre-positioned supplies for 4000 families, ready so they can be moved quickly so we can respond immediately to help anyone that needs life-saving equipment.”
“The equipment we have includes things like hygiene kits, blankets mosquito nets so we don’t get secondary issues arising, such as from malaria.”
“Once the typhoon hits, we have assessment teams that are already near the suspected locations…they can move…
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