MANILA – Several communities remain flooded and without power after a strong typhoon battered the Philippines’ northernmost islands, displacing thousands of people, said authorities today.
Typhoon Chanthu, which at one point was categorised by the weather bureau as a Category 5 storm, has weakened after powering into the northernmost region, including the Batanes island group, yesterday, said the bureau.
“It’s one of the strongest typhoons I’ve felt,” said Dennis Ballesteros Valdez, a resident of Sabtang town in Batanes province, which is often pummelled by powerful typhoons.
“It could have been more destructive if the houses were not built as strong.”
Footage taken by him showed powerful winds and rains battering houses in Sabtang yesterday.
More than 11,000 people have been affected by the typhoon, with over 1,000 still at evacuation centres, said the disaster agency in a report.
No casualties have been reported.
Chanthu has been downgraded to Category 3, according to Tropical Storm Risk, as it brushed Taiwan and drenched the island with heavy rain.
Some 20 typhoons hit the Philippines on average each year, said weather authorities. – Reuters, September 12, 2021
