Tens of thousands take shelter as Typhoon Kalmaegi slams into Philippines

Residents move a collapsed tree. (Image: AFP)

Over 1,50,000 people moved to shelters in coastal provinces of the Philippines as powerful Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in a region hit by some of the country's deadliest storms, according to a report by AFP.

With winds gusting up to 205 kph, the typhoon made first contact in Dinagat Islands province, part of the Visayas island chain, the national weather service said.

Thousands of residents have been evacuated since Sunday on neighbouring Samar island, where three-metre (10-foot) surges are predicted, according to civil defence official Randy Nicart, AFP reported.

"Some local governments are resorting to forced evacuations," he said.

As of 8 pm, "close to 156,000 individuals" had been preemptively evacuated, Office of Civil Defence deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro told a press briefing.

Deluge of tropical storms

The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, routinely striking disaster-prone areas where millions live in poverty.

With Kalmaegi, the archipelago country has already reached that average, state weather service specialist Charmaine Varilla told AFP, adding that at least "three to five more" storms could be expected by December's end.

Just south of Leyte, in Dinagat Islands province, governor Nilo Demerey said 10,000 to 15,000 people had been pre-emptively moved to safer areas.

Disaster official Joy Conales said residents of Dinagat's Loreto town were told to evacuate to higher ground. The town has a one-storey-tall dike intended to protect its centre from big waves.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change.

Varilla said that higher numbers of cyclones typically accompany La Nina, a naturally occurring climate pattern that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, AFP reported.

The Philippines was hit by two major storms in September, including Super Typhoon Ragasa, which toppled trees and tore the roofs off buildings, and killed 14 people in neighbouring Taiwan.