The adverse effects of a tropical cyclone expected to become a super typhoon are widespread – spanning from Batanes to Bohol – Rafael Alejandro IV, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) assistant secretary, said on Friday.
As of 11 a.m., tropical storm Fung-wong was last located 1,315 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas and may enter the Philippine area of responsibility either late Friday evening or early Saturday morning, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
‘Its 1,400-kilometer diameter – that is very big – could have an effect from Batanes to Bohol,’ Alejandro said in a press briefing.
‘This severe weather will have a widespread impact,’ he added.
A total of 8,164 villages are identified as susceptible to floods and landslides, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Once it enters the PAR, Pagasa will name it Uwan, the 21st tropical cyclone in the country this year.
Uwan comes just as Typhoon Tino left a trail of destruction in parts of Visayas and Mindanao, reportedly killing 188 people in its wake.
The Philippines is typhoon-prone as it lies within the western Pacific Typhoon Belt, a region where warm ocean waters and moist tropical air create ideal conditions for tropical cyclones to form.