Typhoon Mekkhala threatens Philippines with flooding and landslide risks

Philippine authorities on Tuesday, June 23, warned of possible flooding in low-lying villages, landslides and rough seas in the country’s two northernmost provinces as a powerful typhoon roared offshore.Typhoon Mekkhala was last tracked over the Pacific before midday, about 375 kilometres northeast of Aparri town in Cagayan province, with sustained winds of up to 175 kph, the country’s weather agency said.

Mekkhala was moving northwestward at 10 kph and was not expected to make landfall, but the typhoon’s wide rain and wind band could batter the eastern coasts of Cagayan and Batanes, an island province further north, Philippine officials said.
The first of a five-step tropical cyclone wind warning was hoisted over the northeastern coastal areas, prohibiting boats from heading out to sea. Disaster-mitigation personnel were placed on alert in vulnerable villages and towns.The typhoon was forecast to pass nearest to the coast of Batanes on Wednesday, about 275 kilometres offshore, before heading past Taiwan’s east coast and then blowing toward Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Saturday.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. The country is also often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.