MANILA: The Philippines shut schools and scrapped flights on Thursday as a fresh storm threatened to hit just days after a super typhoon killed nine people in the archipelago.
Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi is forecast to intensify into a typhoon on Friday and then slam into the southern end of the Philippines’ largest island, Luzon.
“Widespread flooding and landslides in mountainous areas are possible,” Benison Estareja from the nation’s weather service told a briefing.
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, putting millions of people in disaster-prone areas in a state of constant poverty.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms due to the effects of human-driven climate change.
Authorities warned of a “high risk of life-threatening storm surge” of up to three meters (10 feet) with the coming storm.
The Philippine Coast Guard said around 1,500 people were stranded in ports of Bicol, the region where the typhoon is forecast to hit.