Typhoon Toraji Slams Into Agricultural Region In Northeastern Philippines

A new typhoon barreled across an agricultural region in rastern Philippines on Monday after thousands were evacuated to safety while still struggling to recover from devastation caused by three successive storms in last three weeks.

Typhoon Toraji slammed into rastern Aurora province and was forecast to blow over mountaius Luzon region, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — just day before — inspected dam from last storm and led distribution of food packs to residents in Cagayan and Ilocos provinces.

Marcos skipped this week’s Asia-Pacific Cooperation forum in Peru to oversee recovery efforts from back-to-back storms.

After making landfall in Aurora on Monday morning with sustained winds of up to 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 kph (112 mph), typhoon was expected to barrel rthwestward across Luzon, weaken as it crosses a mountain range and n blow into South China Sea.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Sunday ordered forcible evacuation of people in 2,500 vills expected to be lashed by Toraji, locally named Nika, warning that rain-soaked Luzon mountains, valleys and plains were more susceptible to flash floods and landslides.

military said its disaster-response forces have been deployed near high-risk areas and were standing by for new contingencies. It ded that it suspended combat drills in rth due to wear.

Schools were shut down, inter-island ferry services and domestic flights were suspended in provinces in or near path of typhoon, 14th wear disturbance to batter Philippine archipelago this year.

Forecasters said y were monitoring ar brewing storm in Pacific that could affect country if it strengns.

last two typhoons and a tropical storm caused more than 160 deaths, damd thousands of houses and farmlands and affected more than 9 million people, including hundreds of thousands who fled to emergency shelters, after dumping from one to two months’ worth of rain in just 24 hours in some cities and towns.