“The highest emergency preparedness and response protocol has been activated in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the Bicol region,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. He urged the public to be careful, adding that strong winds are expected to hit within the next 18 hours The typhoon is expected to make landfall in northern Quezon or southern Aurora in the evening, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a live hourly television bulletin. He said he is not ruling out an earlier fall on the Polillo Islands in the afternoon. Schools in several cities, including Muntinlupa City and Aurora, have suspended classes for Monday, September 26, due to the approaching storm. According to CNN Weather, Noru now has winds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane in the US. It is expected to bring large waves and storm surges, torrential rains and winds of more than 200 km/h (124 mph) to Luzon in the next 24 hours. PAGASA has issued a warning for the Polillo Islands in anticipation of widespread damage that the storm could cause. The warning comes after the storm intensified in the early hours of Sunday. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said it strengthened from a 140 km/h (85 mph) typhoon to a 250 km/h (155 mph) super typhoon in just six hours. Earlier on Sunday, PAGASA issued a level four warning signal for the Polillo Islands in anticipation of widespread damage and level two and three warnings for much of Luzon, including Metro Manila.
Thalas kills two in Japan
Meanwhile, authorities in Japan said Sunday that two people were killed in landslides triggered by Tropical Storm Talas. One person is missing after his car plunged into a river, the Shizuoka prefectural government said. The prefecture saw its heaviest daily rainfall on record, including a record 416.5mm of rain in Shizuoka city’s Suruga-ku, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. During the downpour, the prefecture urged 1,200,000 households — about 3 million people — to evacuate. More than 1,000 houses and a large number of roads in the county were flooded, he said, adding that many bridges had collapsed.
