MANILA, Oct. 19 (UPI) — Super Typhoon Haima hit the northeast Philippines on Wednesday, bringing gusts of nearly 200 mph — days after Typhoon Sarika killed three people in the Pacific island nation.
The storm hit land near Peñablanca late Wednesday as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, forecasters said, and was expected to pass over or near Ilocos Norte and Apayao.
Haima has brought maximum sustained winds of about 140 mph with gusts of 195 mph to the islands. The most severe tropical cyclone warning has been issued for the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga and Apayao in the Luzon island.
Philippine authorities have warned against sea travel, adding that Haima’s winds could cause “very heavy damage” to structures and could lead to the “complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings.” Haima is forecast to head toward China’s coast after passing through the Philippines.
Evacuations were ordered on the main island of Luzon and several flights were canceled due to the storm, officials said.
“The country’s major river and catch basins are also located in Luzon, which could overflow if heavy rains continue,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement.
Typhoon Sarika killed three, left 15,000 people displaced and knocked out power and telephone services to nearly 250,000 when it crossed through the island nation on Sunday. Sarika made landfall on China’s Hainan island on Tuesday — weakening into a tropical storm before reaching the border between southern China and northern Vietnam on Wednesday, Weather.com reported.
Sarika may cause heavy flooding in the area, particularly in Vietnam which in the last week faced deadly floodwaters due to torrential rain.
