Philippines warns Typhoon Koppu could linger for days

The typhoon is expected to make landfall early on Sunday and will not leave the archipelago until Tuesday, the government weather station said.
Channel NewsAsia 17 Oct 15;

MANILA: Philippine authorities on Saturday (Oct 17) warned that a powerful typhoon will likely linger over the country for almost three days, bringing prolonged heavy rain, possible floods and sparking storm surges.

Hundreds of people have already been evacuated from the northeastern provinces in the face of the approaching Typhoon Koppu, possibly the second most powerful storm to strike the disaster-prone country this year, civil defence officials said.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall early on Sunday and will not leave the archipelago until Tuesday, the government weather station said.

Weather station director Espie Cayanan said the storm, which has sustained winds of 160 kilometres (100 miles) per hour and gusts of 195 kilometres per hour, could strengthen as it gets closer to the country.

Due to its interaction with another nearby weather disturbance, Typhoon Koppu may move slowly across the northern end of the main Philippine island of Luzon, she warned.

"It may be semi-stationary once it hits," Cayanan told reporters.

The typhoon, moving at 10 kilometres per hour, is expected to make landfall in the northeastern province of Aurora before curving north over Luzon and eventually moving out to sea, she added.

Although the storm will not directly hit the capital, Manila, Cayanan warned that its diameter was so huge that even the southern regions were likely to be affected by strong winds and rain.

Areas hit by the typhoon will suffer "heavy to intense rainfall" with possible tsunami-like storm surges in coastal areas.

Civil defence officials warned that waves as high as 14 metres (46 feet) could occur at sea and banned all vessels from sailing in over half the country. They also warned of possible floods in river basins and urged residents to heed orders to evacuate ahead of any incident.

"If you are told you need to evacuate, then we appeal to you to evacuate," civil defence chief Alexander Pama said. He also urged the public to cancel any travel plans over the weekend.

TARGET: ZERO CASUALTIES

President Benigno Aquino's spokeswoman Abigail Valte said that government agencies had prepared for the storm, stockpiling relief goods and heavy equipment which may be needed for rescue and repair efforts.

"The government is prepared for this and has undertaken all the necessary measures to ensure that we reach our zero-casualty target," she told reporters.

Nigel Lontoc, the civil defence director in the area covering Aurora province, said there were "ongoing pre-emptive evacuations ... some of the mayors are implementing forced evacuations of families if they do not voluntarily evacuate."

The evacuations are focused in coastal areas that may be hit by storm surges and a mountain area known to be vulnerable to landslides.

He told AFP that the number of people evacuated will likely rise as the storm gets closer.

So far, the area was just experiencing occasional rains and gusts of wind but Lontoc warned, "we can expect more flooding and landslides, very powerful rains."

Special government units are contacting towns that may be vulnerable to the storm to ensure they are prepared, the officials said.

President Aquino previously warned that Typhoon Koppu could be uniquely destructive because it would bring intense rain over a long period of time.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms each year, many of them deadly.

- AFP/ec


Koppu hits Philippines north, destroys houses, displaces 10,000 people
Powerful typhoon Koppu ploughed into the northeastern Philippines before dawn on Sunday destroying homes and displacing 10,000 people and whipping up coastal surges four meters (12 feet) high, disaster agency officials said.
Channel NewsAsia 18 Oct 15;

MANILA: Powerful typhoon Koppu ploughed into the northeastern Philippines before dawn on Sunday destroying homes and displacing 10,000 people and whipping up coastal surges four meters (12 feet) high, disaster agency officials said.

There were no reports of casualties after the category four typhoon, with central destructive winds of 175 kph (109 mph), made landfall around 1 a.m. (1700 GMT) near the town of Casiguran in Aurora province.

Koppu dumped heavy rain, causing flooding and damaging roads and bridges, and toppled power and communication lines.

"There are still no reports of casualty, thank God," said Alexander Pama, executive director of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

"Initially, we are getting many houses were destroyed, power lines toppled and trees blocking major roads," he said, adding 10,000 people had been displaced in northeastern Luzon, the country's main island.

The weather bureau said Koppu will remain over Luzon for three days due to a high pressure in the north and another typhoon in the northwest Pacific.

Casiguran town, where Koppu slammed hit, was isolated, local radio dzBB reported. "We expect some damages on public infrastructure and agriculture," Norma Talosig, regional disaster agency head in rice-producing Cagayan Valley.

Junie Cua, governor of Quirino province, said toppled electric posts and trees were making it hard for emergency workers to reach isolated communities.

Authorities said 30 flights and ferry services in the north were grounded. Some commuter bus suspended services due threats of landslides in mountain areas.

On Friday, President Benigno Aquino appealed on television to people not to panic and to make preparations. The last time Aquino made a televised appeal was in 2013, the day before super typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, killing more than 6,300 people and leaving millions homeless.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year.

(Reporting By Manuel Mogato and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Michael Perry)

- Reuters

Malaysia: Beware of typhoon Koppu
OLIVIA MIWIL New Straits Times 17 Oct 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Koppu typhoon had been detected approximately 1,211 km Northeast of Kudat at about 8pm.

Its exact location was at latitude 15.9 North and Longitude 123.1 East.

Sabah Meteorology department director Abdul Malek Tussin said the phenomena would cause intermittent rain at the coastal areas in the interior, west, Kudat and Sandakan.

"The rain will continue until Monday while string winds to persist until Thursday."

The typhoon with estimated speed of 15 km per hour is moving westward.

Early Saturday morning, two blocks of SK Bangau-Bangau in Semporna were badly damaged in a storm at 4.45am.

Sabah Education director Daruk Jame Alip said early estimation of the damage was about RM500,000.

"The incident will affect 1,152 pupils, 60 teachers and eight administration staffs on Monday.

"However, there was no casualty reported as no one was at the school during the storm."