At 2 am on November 1 (local time), Typhoon Goni, also known as Supertyphoon Rolly, strengthened into a super typhoon and made landfall in Bato, Catanduanes, at 4:50 am.
As of 7:20 am, Typhoon Goni made a second landfall in Tiwi, Albay.
Almost a million people were evacuated in the Philippines. The most powerful typhoon of 2020 headed towards the country in what the authorities warn as a typhoon with destructive winds and flooding.
People carry the body of a victim in the aftermath of Typhoon Goni in San Francisco, Guinobatan, Albay province, Philippines November 1, 2020. Shyneth Occidental Montero
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Typhoon Goni made a landfall
According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), as of 5 am, Typhoon Goni is in Bato's municipality and is moving west southwest at 25 km/h.
The typhoon has been upgraded into a super typhoon status and is considered the world's strongest tropical cyclone this year by far.
The typhoon hit Catanduanes Island on Sunday morning, bringing wind speeds of 127 miles per hour before making landfall on the Luzon island. As of 8 am, the supertyphoon was spotted in Twi, Albay with sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour,
PAGASA also warned that in the next 12 hours, catastrophic violent winds and intense to torrential are expected in Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, and the northern portion Sorsogon, and central and southern portions of Quezon. Residents are warned that these areas are in a particularly dangerous situation.
The highest tropical cyclone wind signal, Signal number 5, warns of very destructive to devastating typhoon winds.
Metro Manila is upgraded to Signal number 4: Areas with very destructive to devastating typhoon-force winds.
Millions evacuated
Civil defense chief Ricardo Jalad said that nearly a million people left their home in the Bicol region, including residents in the Southern portion of Luzon and Catanduanes.
On Saturday, authorities were busy marshaling rescue vehicles, mobilizing emergency response teams, and preparing relief goods ahead of the typhoon. Residents and leaders prepared for violent winds and intense rainfall that is expected from the supertyphoon. The typhoon could trigger floods and landslides in an area of more than 20 million people, the weather service said.
Schools that have not been used since the pandemic lockdown started now serve as emergency shelters to add to government-run evacuation centers and gymnasiums.
Bicol regional civil defense spokesperson Alexis Naz admits that COVID-19 makes evacuation procedures more difficult.
Battered by series of typhoons
A week ago, Typhoon Molave hit the same archipelago regions, leaving 22 people dead and flooding low-lying villages and farmlands before leaving the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), then crossing the South China Sea, and then heading to Vietnam. Molave also caused deaths and damages to Vietnam.
Meanwhile, another typhoon, Atsani has reintensified from a tropical depression into a tropical storm at 2 am on Sunday. It is likely to develop into a severe tropical cyclone in the next 24 to 36 hours. Atsani is expected to enter PAR on Sunday afternoon. Atsani was spotted 1,280 east of Southern Luzon and moved towards the northwest at 30 km/hr.
Supertyphoon Rolly is expected to exit mainland Luzon's landmass on Monday and head towards the West Philippine Sea. It will leave the PAR on Tuesday very early morning. After the island of Catanduanes and Albay, the eye of typhoon Goni or Supertyphoon Rolly will cross Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte before heading towards southern Luzon on Sunday afternoon.
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