Typhoon hits island with 100 mph winds
MANILA, Philippines — A strong typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines on Thursday, knocking out power and threatening food crops in a new emergency for a country already overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Typhoon Vongfong blew into Eastern Samar province at noon with fierce rain and wind as tens of thousands of people were being evacuated to safety in provinces along its northwestward path through the country’s most populous region. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.
After landfall, the storm maintained its maximum sustained winds of about 96 miles per hour but its gusts intensified to 158 mph, weather agency administrator Vicente Malano said.
The typhoon hit as the Philippines struggles to deal with coronavirus outbreaks, largely with a lockdown in the main northern region of Luzon that is to be eased this weekend, except in metropolitan Manila and two other high-risk areas.
The rest of the country will be placed in less restrictive quarantines, and crucial businesses will partially reopen starting next week after the economy contracted in the first quarter.