Typhoon Rai has killed at least six people in the Philippines. Villages have been flooded in southern and central regions, electricity grids disrupted, and trees uprooted.
Rai, known locally as Odette, made landfall on Thursday as a super typhoon with winds of up to 195 kilometres per hour, accompanied by a large amount of rain. The typhoon has since abated slightly. However, the government weather bureau reports speeds of up to 155 kilometres per hour.
The city of Surigao has been hit hard, according to Mayor Ernesto Matugas. “Everything is damaged,” he told ABS-CBN broadcaster. “Roofs have been blown off, access roads blocked by landslides.” Reports of destruction to infrastructure and buildings are also coming from other places.
According to the National Emergency Service, it is too early to determine the extent of the damage. Still, initial reports indicate that the damage is not that bad compared to other severe typhoons. According to authorities, deaths have been prevented by evacuations. Nevertheless, more than 300,000 people left their homes.
The Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons every year. Rai is the fifteenth of this year. In 2013, the Asian country was hit by the worst typhoon ever. Super Typhoon Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people and displaced 4 million people.
English