Most of Luzon and Visayas are placed on alert as Typhoon Kammuri (named “Tisoy” in the Philippines) continues to gain strength and moves slightly faster towards the Bicol region.
Thousands of people are evacuated from their homes to prepare for possible flooding and storm surge brought by this Category 3 typhoon, a rare phenomenon to happen during the month of December.
State forecaster Pagasa estimates that the typhoon would land somewhere in Albay, Sorsogon or Northern Samar by Monday evening or Tuesday early morning. As of 1pm Manila time, its track was seen 195km east of Juban, Sorsogon.
The storm is packing winds of 150 kilometers per hour. Wind gust has registered 185 kph.
Bicol region and Quezon province would likely experience heavy rain as much as 20-30 cm, which Pagasa fears could lead to flash flooding and mudslides.
Metro Manila, with over 12 million population, is also being asked to prepare for Tisoy with winds up to 120 kph.
“The whole day of tomorrow, ‘yun po ang pinaka delikado o critical dito sa Metro Manila. Kasama rin ang Calabarzon, Bulacan, at Pampanga,” PAGASA Weather Division Chief Esperanza Cayanan said in a media briefing.
