MANILA: At least 5,000 people have fled their homes with Typhoon Kalmaegi poised to blast into the northern Philippines late Tuesday, with a second tropical storm forecast to hit just days later. Kalmaegi is expected to batter the nation’s lightly populated far north with 120 kilometre per hour winds, the national weather service said. Heavy rains are forecast to swell rivers, cut off roads and threaten low-lying communities in Cagayan province, where officials guided residents towards shelter. Forecasters believe a second tropical storm could make landfall in the same province by Thursday. The Philippines’ deadliest cyclone on record was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.

Source: New Strait Times November 19, 2019 11:48 UTC