The Philippines was just hit hard by Typhoon “Wipha” and is now facing the threats of two tropical storms, bringing heavy rains to the country’s largest island of Luzon. This forced authorities to close schools and cancel flights on Thursday (July 24).
” Wipha” swept across the Philippines a few days ago, bringing heavy rains, floods, and triggering landslides in many areas. After “Wipha” passed, its remnants contributed to the formation of Tropical Storm “Francisco.” “Francisco” hit the Philippines on Wednesday afternoon (July 23) and moved towards the northern part of Taiwan on Thursday evening.
At the same time, Tropical Storm “Co-may” upgraded to a typhoon on Thursday night, with maximum sustained winds of 120 km/h, making landfall on the northwest coast of Luzon on Friday morning (July 25).
The Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported on Friday that this severe weather lasting for several days has resulted in at least 25 deaths nationwide, with 8 people missing, over 2.7 million people affected, and authorities evacuating more than 278,000 individuals. Additionally, the adverse weather conditions have caused approximately $73 million in damages to infrastructure and agriculture.
Due to the storm’s impact, the Philippine Civil Aviation Authority has canceled about 70 domestic and international flights. Authorities also announced the suspension of classes throughout Luzon on Thursday.
The Philippines is located in the western Pacific Typhoon Belt, experiencing an average of 20 typhoons or tropical storms each year.