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Thousands Flee Philippine Coast as Tropical Storm Fengshen Looms Large
Residential areas along the Pacific coast of a Philippine island have been cleared out by thousands of residents fleeing their homes ahead of Tropical Storm Fengshen's expected arrival on Saturday. The storm is forecast to make landfall in Catanduanes, an impoverished island with over 270,000 inhabitants, later today.
The eye of the storm will bring gusts of up to 80km/h (50mph) and heavy rainfall, prompting a "minimal to moderate risk" of coastal flooding from waves reaching as high as 1.2 meters (3.2 feet). As a precautionary measure, over 9,000 residents have moved to safer ground in an often-repeated evacuation drill that has previously been the first major landmass hit by cyclones forming in the western Pacific.
The government's weather service is monitoring the situation closely, with officials urging residents of high-risk areas, including those along the coast, low-lying communities, and landslide-prone slopes, to activate their respective evacuation plans. "We're preparing for the worst-case scenario," said Gerry Rubio, a rescue official. "We urge everyone in these areas to evacuate immediately."
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, striking disaster-prone areas where millions of impoverished people live. Climate change experts warn that these storms are becoming more powerful as the planet warms.
Fengshen comes as the country is still reeling from a series of major earthquakes and typhoons that have killed dozens of people in recent weeks. Just last month, at least 79 people were killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu province, while another earthquake struck just days later, killing six people.
The latest storm comes on the heels of Typhoon Ragasa, which swept through the northern Philippines in late September, leaving several dead and thousands displaced. Offices were closed as schools were evacuated, and villagers were forced to flee their homes.
As residents flee their homes ahead of Fengshen's arrival, concerns are growing about the long-term impact of climate change on the country's disaster-prone areas. "It's becoming increasingly clear that we need urgent action to address this issue," said a government official.
Residential areas along the Pacific coast of a Philippine island have been cleared out by thousands of residents fleeing their homes ahead of Tropical Storm Fengshen's expected arrival on Saturday. The storm is forecast to make landfall in Catanduanes, an impoverished island with over 270,000 inhabitants, later today.
The eye of the storm will bring gusts of up to 80km/h (50mph) and heavy rainfall, prompting a "minimal to moderate risk" of coastal flooding from waves reaching as high as 1.2 meters (3.2 feet). As a precautionary measure, over 9,000 residents have moved to safer ground in an often-repeated evacuation drill that has previously been the first major landmass hit by cyclones forming in the western Pacific.
The government's weather service is monitoring the situation closely, with officials urging residents of high-risk areas, including those along the coast, low-lying communities, and landslide-prone slopes, to activate their respective evacuation plans. "We're preparing for the worst-case scenario," said Gerry Rubio, a rescue official. "We urge everyone in these areas to evacuate immediately."
The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, striking disaster-prone areas where millions of impoverished people live. Climate change experts warn that these storms are becoming more powerful as the planet warms.
Fengshen comes as the country is still reeling from a series of major earthquakes and typhoons that have killed dozens of people in recent weeks. Just last month, at least 79 people were killed in a magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu province, while another earthquake struck just days later, killing six people.
The latest storm comes on the heels of Typhoon Ragasa, which swept through the northern Philippines in late September, leaving several dead and thousands displaced. Offices were closed as schools were evacuated, and villagers were forced to flee their homes.
As residents flee their homes ahead of Fengshen's arrival, concerns are growing about the long-term impact of climate change on the country's disaster-prone areas. "It's becoming increasingly clear that we need urgent action to address this issue," said a government official.
... Thousands of people already fleeing their homes in the Philippines, and it's only going to get worse. Climate change experts say these storms are getting more powerful, which is just terrifying 
. I mean, 20 storms a year? That's insane! 
And with millions of people living in disaster-prone areas... it's just not fair. When will we learn? We need to take action to reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate the effects of climate change. Evacuations are just a temporary fix - we need real, long-term solutions 
.
The fact that 9k people had to evacuate is crazy 
. And it's not just this storm, but like, climate change experts are saying that Typhoon Ragasa was just a sign of things to come 
. I feel bad for those ppl in disaster-prone areas 
. We need to do something about it, stat! 
And what about all those landslides and floods they're warning us about? How many of these evacuations have actually been successful? We need to see some real data on this one... 
they're going through so much already with all these natural disasters and now this storm is threatening their lives again 
my heart goes out to them, they're so brave for taking action though 
I hope the government's preparations are enough to keep everyone safe 
. Climate change is no joke, and it's getting harder to ignore. The Philippines is already hit with 20+ storms per year, that’s just ridiculous 
.