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Thursday, November 30, 2006
Reming lashes eastern RP, cuts off power (9:30 a.m.)
MANILA -- A powerful typhoon battered the eastern Philippines Thursday with winds of up to 190 kilometers (119 miles) per hour, cutting off power to thousands of homes.
Residents of Catanduanes island, where the eye of Typhoon Durian passed early Thursday on its way to the central Bicol region and the capital, Manila, said the winds were so strong it felt like an earthquake, dzBB reported.
The "super typhoon" - the fourth to hit the Philippines in as many months - was packing gusts of up to 225 kph (140 mph), the Philippine weather bureau said.
Officials suspended school classes in Manila and nearby areas and placed more than 25 northern provinces under storm alerts. All local governments and agencies were alerted to the possibility of landslides and flash floods.
In Manila, authorities directed billboard owners to pull down their tarpaulins to prevent a repeat of the collapse of many such structures when another typhoon hit Manila.
Radio reports said electricity was cut off to thousands of people in Bicol, while nearly 2,000 ferry passengers were stranded after the coast guard grounded all vessels.
Coast Guard commandant Rear Adm. Damian Carlos placed all units on the highest alert.
The Manila airport authority was considering diverting all incoming flights to Hong Kong when the typhoon reaches the capital on Friday, radio reports said.(AP) |
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