It lost intensity as it skirted the sprawling capital of Manila and headed out to the South China Sea. Ten deaths were recorded in Albay province, but provincial disaster chief Cedric Daep said without pre-emptive evacuations "thousands would have died." Goni was ranked as a "super typhoon" when it made landfall on Catanduanes where at least six people died and authorities estimate most houses and infrastructure were damaged. 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.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 02, 2020 06:22 UTC