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Philippines

Philippines: Typhoon Goni - Flash Update No. 1 (as of 31 October 2020, 9 p.m. local time)

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Situation Overview

Massive precautionary evacuations are underway in several areas in the Philippines ahead of the potentially devasting onslaught of this year’s strongest tropical cyclone. The Philippines Government has directed the preemptive and mandatory evacuations of residents along the typhoon’s path in southern and central Luzon, areas still reeling from the effects of multiple tropical cyclones in the past three weeks.

Typhoon Goni – locally known as Rolly – intensified overnight and is now packing maximum sustained winds of 215 km/h and gustiness of up to 265 km/h. The Philippines weather bureau, PAGASA, warns that violent winds and intense rainfall will be felt beginning Sunday morning in southern and central Luzon, including the national capital Metro Manila. Cyclone warning signal #3 has been raised for Catanduanes province, where the typhoon is expected to make landfall on the morning of 1 November (local time). It will track west-southwest crossing the provinces of Camarines and Quezon, reaching southern Luzon and Metro Manila before entering the West Philippines Sea early Monday morning. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pre-disaster information, an estimated 19.8 million people live within the 60 kilometers diameter of typhoon’s path, 1.3 million of which are considered poor, and could be significantly affected by its impact. The weather system is expected to weaken as it traverses over land.

Authorities warn that rain-induced flooding and landslides may occur during heavy and prolonged rainfall. The expected heavy volume of rainfall could also generate volcanic sediment flows or lahars in the active volcanoes of Mayon, Pinatubo, and Taal. Storm surges of between three to five meters also pose risks on the eastern seaboard and in the western coastal areas, including in Manila.

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