Philippines evacuates coastal villages as
super typhoon approaches
Published on Sep 20, 2013
1:52 PM
This NASA Terra satellite image obtained Sept 19, 2013 shows Typhoon Usagi nearing the Philippines and southern Taiwan.
The Philippines evacuated northern coastal villages, suspended ferry services and called in fishing boats on Friday as an
approaching category-five storm, already labelled a super typhoon, gained strength on a path set for southern China. -PHOTO: AFP
MANILA (REUTERS) - The Philippines evacuated northern coastal villages, suspended ferry services and
called in fishing boats on Friday as an approaching category-five storm, already labelled a super typhoon,
gained strength on a path set for southern China.
With centre winds of 205 kph and gusts of up to 240 kph, Typhoon Usagi, the strongest storm to hit the
Western Pacific this year, was moving north-west at 19 kph between the Philippines and Taiwan and
headed for Hong Kong and south China.
China's Xinhua news agency said preparations were being made for an "emergency response" in southern
coastal areas.
Storm alerts have been raised on the rice and coconut-growing island of Batanes and 15 provinces on the
Philippines' main island of Luzon, the weather bureau said.
Tropical Storm Risk, which forecasts weather and advises on insurance and risk, labels storms from one to
five, with five the strongest.
"Our people there know the drill, but we have also issued warnings to take safety precautions,"
Philippine Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said "we're praying it doesn't create death and destruction."
A typhoon hit Batanes in 1987, destroying all roads as the water level surged as high as seven metres.
"Practically, all our coconut trees broke in half," Mr Abad said.
Power and communications in the area have been cut off for safety reasons and hospitals were put on alert
as disaster agencies stocked up on food and water. Troops were also on standby.
Usagi is expected to batter the northernmost islands overnight on Friday. It is also likely to weaken before
it hits southern China on Sunday night.
An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. In 2011, Typhoon Washi killed 1,200 people,
destroyed more than 10,000 homes and displaced 300,000 people.
Bopha, the strongest storm to hit last year, flattened three coastal towns on the southern island of
Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and destroyed crops, property and infrastructure worth US$1.04 billion
(S$1.3 billion).
5.7-magnitude quake hits Myanmar near
Mandalay: Seismologists
Published on Sep 20, 2013
9:11 PM
YANGON (AFP) - A shallow 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck close to Myanmar's second-biggest city on
Friday evening, seismologists said.
The quake hit at 6.54pm local time at a depth of 10km, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.
It was 110km north of the city of Mandalay.
The agency indicated the quake caused strong shaking and issued a yellow alert, suggesting a mid-level
risk of fatalities.
Earthquakes are relatively common in Myanmar.
The USGS said six strong earthquakes, of 7.0-magnitude and more, struck between 1930 and 1956 near the
Sagaing Fault, which runs north to south through the centre of the country.
Last November a powerful earthquake left more than 20 people dead and destroyed hundreds of buildings
in Mandalay and surrounding villages.
Super Typhoon Usagi hits Taiwan,
Philippines
Published on Sep 21, 2013
11:50 AM
Super Typhoon Usagi is seen heading west-north-west between the Philippines and Taiwan through the Luzon Strait in this
Sept 20, 2013 handout shortwave infrared satellite image by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Usagi,
the most powerful typhoon of the year, swept through the Luzon Strait on Saturday, battering island communities and
drenching southern Taiwan and the northern Philippines. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
ETAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - The most powerful typhoon of the year was sweeping through the Luzon Strait
on Saturday, battering island communities and drenching southern Taiwan and the northern Philippines.
Super Typhoon Usagi had maximum sustained winds of 222kmh and gusts exceeding 260kmh early
Saturday, and was 550km south of Taipei, Taiwan's capital, according to the United States Navy's Joint
Typhoon Warning Centre. A storm achieves super typhoon status when winds reach 240kmh.
The eye of the storm passed over the Batanes islands early on Saturday, Philippine officials said. There
were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
China's National Meteorological Centre announced a red alert, the observatory's highest, as the storm
maintained its track towards Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta. The observatory warned Usagi will
impact coastal areas of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.
The US Navy's warning center predicted that Usagi will make landfall near Hong Kong with weaker but
dangerous sustained winds of 180kmh on early Monday morning.
In Taiwan, nearly 2,500 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas and remote mountainous regions.
Torrential rains were reported along the eastern coast and in the south as officials warned of cumulative
rainfall of 1,000mm along the east coast.
Usagi retains a massive diameter of 1,100km, with its outer rain bands extending across the main northern
Philippine island of Luzon and all of Taiwan. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau warned winds of 100kmh
could hit Taipei.
In the Philippines, the Batanes Islands were under the highest storm alert, while lower warnings were
raised in at least 15 northern provinces where officials warned of flash floods, landslides and storm surges.
In Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Airways said Saturday that flights are unaffected but warned of delayed and
canceled flights from Sunday evening to Monday morning. The airline urged passengers to postpone nonessential travel on those two days.
Super Typhoon Usagi on path of destruction
towards Hong Kong and southern China
Published on Sep 20, 2013
2:30 PM
This Nasa Terra satellite image obtained on Thursday, Sept 19, 2013, shows Typhoon Usagi nearing the Philippines and
southern Taiwan. Super Typhoon Usagi - one of the strongest storms of the year - barrelled towards Hong Kong and
southern China on Friday, Sept 20, 2013, prompting warnings of fierce winds and torrential rains. -- PHOTO: AFP / NASA
HONG KONG (AFP) - Super Typhoon Usagi - one of the strongest storms of the year - barrelled towards
Hong Kong and southern China on Friday, prompting warnings of fierce winds and torrential rains.
Packing gusts of up to 205 kilometres per hour, the storm is projected to roar between the Philippines and
Taiwan before smashing into the southern Chinese coast later at the weekend.
"It is the strongest typhoon in the west Pacific region this year," a weather forecaster at the Taiwan Central
Weather Bureau told AFP.
Philippines authorities issued a signal four alert for the Batanes island group in the extreme north of the
country, warning large trees could be uprooted, plantations flattened, and power and communications
infrastructure knocked out.
"Damage to affected communities can be very heavy," the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and
Astronomical Services Administration said. "The situation is potentially very destructive to communities.
All travel and outdoor activities should be cancelled."
The country's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Usagi would cause intense
rainfall of 10-20 millimetres per hour within a 700-kilometre range.
Hong Kong officials warned of worsening weather in the southern Chinese territory.
"Weather will deteriorate significantly with strengthening winds and rough seas," the Hong Kong
observatory said. Its tropical cyclone track map showed the storm would hit the city after 8pm on Sunday
(8pm on Sunday, Singapore time).
The typhoon is expected to be downgraded to "severe" by the time it makes landfall in the territory,
according to the observatory.
Typhoon Usagi is set to brush the southern tip of Taiwan on Saturday morning, expected to bring fierce
winds and torrential rains, possibly leading to landslides.
The Taiwan weather bureau issued a warning to the residents of Taitung, Kaohsiung and the Pingtung
areas to take special precautions, as television news footage showed people surfing on waves whipped up
by Usagi.
Officials in south-eastern Taitung county ordered the suspension of ferries.
And authorities in the southern city of Kaohsiung deflated an 18-metre-tall yellow duck, a slightly larger
version of the one that recently captivated people in Hong Kong, a day after it arrived in the city, drawing
tens of thousands of visitors.
Mainland Chinese weather authorities have issued a "yellow" alert, state media reported, the third-highest
on its four-tier warning system, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
China's State Oceanic Administration expects Usagi to hit the coast between south China's Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region and south-eastern Fujian Province on Sunday evening.
Typoon Utor, which struck last month, killed eight people in the Philippines and left tens of thousands
displaced and whole towns badly damaged when it raked across the north of the main island of Luzon.
Utor, which also led to deaths in China, forced the closure of financial markets, schools and businesses in
Hong Kong, disrupting hundreds of flights and also caused the sinking of a 190-metre-long cargo ship to
the city, but all 21 crew were rescued.
A super typhoon is the most intense tropical cyclone, with a maximum sustained wind speed reaching 185
kmh or above.
More than 100 killed in Mexico landslides,
flooding: Official
Published on Sep 21, 2013
11:51 AM
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AFP) - At least 101 people have been killed in landslides and flooding caused by
especially heavy rain in Mexico over the past week, Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said late
pm Friday.
Mr Osorio Chong, speaking to reporters from the resort town of Acapulco, in one of the worst-affected
regions, also said that 68 people have been reported missing.