Kathmandu, December 16
Thousands of people have been evacuated in the Philippines due to the rapidly developing typhoon Rye.
Thousands of people in the central and southern Philippines were evacuated before the storm hit. As of
Thursday morning, some 30,000 people had been evacuated from the eastern province of Samar in the
Visayas Islands, officials said.
According to Al Jazeera, more than 17,000 people have been evacuated from other eastern regions of
Visayas. Samar and Leyte prefectures were the hardest hit by Typhoon Hayan in 2013, which killed
thousands.
As many as 51,000 people have been evacuated from Surigao, Mindanao. On Wednesday, emergency
workers placed 36,068 families from the southern coastal city of Tandag in 18 temporary ashrams.
According to a report released by the Philippine Meteorological Bureau on Thursday morning, Typhoon
Rai is developing rapidly. According to the bureau, the rapidly developing storm is moving towards
Dinagat in the central region and Surigao province.
According to the bureau, Typhoon Rai is moving west and northwest at a speed of 185 kmph. Sailors
have been told to stay in the port or stay safe as the sea conditions are dangerous for all water voyages.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center called Typhoon Rye a "super typhoon," or
hurricane-force at 150 miles per hour.
The storm is expected to make landfall by Thursday afternoon. Disaster preparedness and response
standards in eight areas of the Philippines are being raised to a high level even before the storm hits the
ground.
