Typhoon Utor, also locally known as Labuyo, intensified as a super typhoon after its landfall around 3 AM (local time) Monday in the northern islands of Luzon, Philippines and is expected to move towards the nation's capital, Metro Manilla.
With sustained winds of 130 knots at about 150 miles per hour, the storm is projected to become the country's strongest tropical cyclone so far this year, peaking as a Category 4 based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale yesterday. Earlier, the local weather bureau forecasts typhoon Utor to slam the country 25 millimetres of rain an hour within a 600-kilometre diameter of the storm.
"Residents in low lying and mountainous areas... are alerted against possible flash floods and landslides," an advisory relays the emergency news to the public. Even before the cyclone made landfall, over 7,500 passengers were and are still stranded by the port and 45 fishermen are reportedly missing. The authorities now are focusing on the effective prevention and rescue of residents.
"It's really about making sure people have access to the necessities of life. Keeping themselves warm, being able to cook a meal for themselves and the kids," Save the Children Philippines' director Anna Lindenfors shares. Philippines has an average of 20 storms a year, with majority of them hitting hard, just like typhoon Bopha that left 2,000 people dead and 850,000 displaced.
Luzon is known to be the world's 3rd most populated island, with over 48 million people living in. While typhoon Utor is forecasted to hit Manila. its strongest impact will remain on the north side of the country, with Batanes, Catanduanes and Cagayan foreseen to be damaged.
A Category 4 storm signifies catastrophic damages and can lead to splitting and uprooting trees, breaking down power lines, wrecking strongly-built houses and even keep areas uninhabitable from weeks to months on end.
As of now, classes are suspended across Luzon and everyone is advised to stay safe and dry.
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