TEMPO.CO, Manila - Thousands of Filipinos, who have just survived an earthquake, must be ready to face Typhoon Haiyan, called Yolanda by the locals, as it will be the strongest typhoon in the world.
Typhoon Haiyan will swirl the southern and central Philippines at 330-kilometer speed an hour this morning. The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre stated yesterday that Haiyan has maximum sustained winds of 278 kilometers per hour.
"This is a very dangerous typhoon; Local officials have already been aware where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations," state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said. "There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous."
Every year, the Philippines are devastated by 20 typhoons with most of them claiming many lives. Based on the speed of wind, Typhoon Yolanda is the strongest this year. The state weather service even warned the typhoon was continuing to intensify.
Typhoon Yolanda is predicted to swipe the ports of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, where flash floods induced by Tropical Storm Washi have killed more than 1,000 people in December 2011. This typhoon will also hit Bohol Island, which has been hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake last month, killing 200 people. Local officials said 5,000 people are still living in tents while waiting for their new house to be built.
Escullar said Yolanda will not strike Mindanao, where typhoon Bopha had claimed 2,000 lives last December. Yolanda is predicted to hit Samar Island, 600 kilometers southeast of Manila, at around 9 am, and cross over to the South China Sea to the north of the island of Palawan Saturday afternoon.
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