Philippines orders evacuation ahead of world's strongest 2020 typhoon

Philippine officials on Saturday ordered evacuation of residents in the southern part of the main Luzon island as a category 5 storm approaches the nation.

This storm -- Typhoon Goni, with 215 kph (133 miles) sustained winds and gusts of up to 265 kph (164 mph) -- is being considered the world's strongest this year.

It will make landfall on Sunday also as the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Haiyan.

Pre-emptive evacuations have started in coastal and landslide-prone communities in the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, while Albay provincial government would order residents in risky areas to leave their homes.

More than 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.Schools which have been empty since the start of the coronavirus pandemic will be used as emergency shelters as well as government-run evacuation centres and gymnasiums.

Typhoon Molave last week killed 22 people, mostly through drowning in provinces south of the capital Manila, which is also in the projected path of Goni, the 18th tropical storm in the country.

Social distancing needs in the time of Covid pandemic are proving to be one of the major hurdles for authorities. The Philippines has the second highest COVID-19 infections and deaths in Southeast Asia, next only to Indonesia.

Typhoon Goni, moving westward at 20 kph (12 mph) from the Pacific Ocean, will bring intense rains over the capital and 14 provinces nearby on Saturday evening, and threats of floods and landslides.

Around 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. Another typhoon, Atsani, is gaining strength just outside the Philippines.

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure, keeping millions of people perennially poor.

Its deadliest on record was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which unleashed giant waves on the central city of Tacloban and left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013-14.