Typhoon Usagi, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane, is set to hit the northern Philippines, exacerbating recent disaster relief challenges as the country faces consecutive storms and anticipated humanitarian needs.**
Typhoon Usagi Approaches Philippines: Concerns Mount Over Flooding and Landslides**
Typhoon Usagi Approaches Philippines: Concerns Mount Over Flooding and Landslides**
As Typhoon Usagi bears down on the Philippines, authorities brace for severe flooding and landslides, prompting mass evacuations and international aid.**
Typhoon Usagi is racing towards the Philippines, bringing with it the destructive power akin to a Category 4 hurricane. As of Thursday, weather forecasts predict significant rainfall and the potential for widespread flooding and landslides, particularly in the northern regions of the country.
Known locally as Ofel, Usagi is the fifth major storm to impact the Philippines within the last three weeks, following Typhoons Toraji, Trami, Yinxing, and Kong-rey, which collectively resulted in over 100 fatalities and extensive destruction. Unprecedentedly, four tropical storms are currently active in and around the South China Sea and North Pacific—a record for November in the region.
Forecasters anticipate that Usagi will make landfall in Luzon, the Philippines' most populous island, on Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds reaching 150 miles per hour. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warns that Usagi could intensify further before landfall.
The northeastern areas of Luzon are likely to experience over eight inches of rainfall, with storm surges predicted to reach up to three meters or nearly 10 feet in certain locales. After impacting the Philippines, Usagi is expected to move towards Taiwan, where authorities have issued a sea typhoon warning.
The recent spate of typhoons in the Philippines has strained the nation’s disaster relief capabilities. The United Nations has stepped in, approving $3.5 million in humanitarian aid to assist agencies operating within the region. Gustavo Gonzalez, who oversees U.N. humanitarian initiatives in the Philippines, lamented the overlapping nature of the typhoons, stating, “As soon as communities attempt to recover from the shock, the next tropical storm is already hitting them again.”
As preparations continue and evacuees seek safety, the impact of Typhoon Usagi on local populations and infrastructures remains a pressing concern across the region.
