Typhoon Rai Continues March Northwestward, Leaves Severe Damage in Philippines
Typhoon Rai (PAGASA Name: Odette) has left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) after making nine catastrophic landfalls. In its advisory, PAGASA said the typhoon left PAR at 12:40PM on Saturday. The storm was last located at 11.9N 113.5E with 1-minute sustained winds of 215 kph (130 mph) with gusts reaching 260 kph (160 mph.); minimum central pressure was measured to be 953 millibars, and is moving west-northwestward at speed of 28kph (17 mph,) according to the latest advisory of the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The storm reportedly killed 31 people, injured 3, and one person missing, according to the latest situation report of the National Disaster Risk Disaster Management Council (NDRRMC;) while numbers given by local authorities differ from the national total. Governors of Surigao del Norte and Bohol said the typhoon caused ₱20-B and ₱5-B in their provinces, respectively. Provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Occidental, Surigao del Norte, and a town in Masbate were placed under a state of calamity; with other areas has not to announced such declaration. The storm affected 373,110 people and displaced 328,847 people. A total of 222 towns and cities suffered damages in the telecommunications line, with six areas have restored services. There are 193 areas that experienced power outages, of which power supply in 21 areas was already restored.
Typhoon Rai now threatens the coast of Vietnam as the storm churns northwestward. A direct landfall is not expected, however heavy rains could result in significant flooding. Force Thirteen continues to produce updates on the storm with live coverage tonight at 00z.
You can watch Force Thirteen’s latest update here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj5TZTlSI5g
