Philippines Typhoon Melor kills three people
At least three people have been killed as millions are left without power in the Philippines after powerful Typhoon Melor made landfall in the country.
Two of the victims lost their lives in ensuing floods, while the third was killed due to hypothermia in Northern Samar Province, authorities said on Tuesday, adding that the overall death toll from the ongoing storm may rise.
Power services in seven central provinces were disrupted and emergency teams were assessing the damage to agriculture and infrastructure.
The governor of the southeastern Albay Province Joey Salceda said the entire province of 1.2 million people was without power. He asked for “the early restoration of electricity.”
Authorities ordered the closure of hundreds of schools and offices across the country, and canceled dozens of domestic flights and ferry services.
Nearly 800,000 people have been evacuated from their coastal homes to safe areas, according to National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
The state weather agency of the Philippines has announced that winds from Typhoon Melor somewhat weakened from 185 kilometers per hour on Monday – when Melor made landfall – to 170 kilometers per hour by Tuesday morning.
The slow-moving storm was expected to weaken further as it heads to the western Mindoro Island and out into the South China Sea later in the day.
Meanwhile, the US-based weather forecast provider Accuweather predicted another potential tropical system that will hit the southern Philippines later this week.
The Philippines witnesses an average of 20 storms every year, many of them deadly and destructive. In November 2013, more than 7,350 people died or went missing due to Super Typhoon Haiyan.
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