Typhoon Kalamaegi hit the central Philippines on Tuesday, bringing torrential rains and strong winds and killing more than 40 people, officials said.
This number includes six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed in Mindanao while conducting a humanitarian disaster response mission.
The island of Cebu was worst affected. According to local officials, 39 people died there due to drowning or falling debris.
What do we know about Typhoon Kalmegi?
The typhoon, known locally as Tino, made landfall in the eastern province of Southern Leyte around midnight and also hit Cebu, where residents were still reeling from a powerful earthquake that struck the province last month.
By Monday afternoon the storm was packing sustained winds of 140 kilometers (87 mph) and gusts of up to 195 kilometers per hour (121 mph).
Kalmegi is forecast to move over the Visayas island region and the South China Sea by Wednesday.
The Vietnamese government also said Tuesday it was preparing for the worst as it prepared for the impact of Kalmyagi.
Thousands of residents were evacuated, many stranded on rooftops
Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, said people were trapped on their roofs by floodwaters in the coastal city of Liloan in Cebu province.
In Mandaue City, Cebu, floodwaters reached “up to people’s head level,” he said, adding that several cars either drowned in the floodwaters or floated to other Cebu communities.
More than 160 flights to and from the affected areas were cancelled. People at sea were advised to immediately proceed to the nearest safe port and remain in port.
Weather Bureau PAGASA warned of high risk “Life-threatening and damaging storm surges” that could reach heights of more than 3 meters hit coastal and low-lying areas in the central Philippines, including parts of Mindanao.
Scientists have linked increased climate change to increases in ocean temperatures and the intensity of hurricanes as well as other extreme weather events.
Edited by: Rana Taha