Atleast six people have died in the philippines, as heavy storms lash the Islands ahead of the arrival of Tyhoon Mitag, due to make landfall on sunday.
The army has decided a ceasefire with local communist rebels so that troops can focus on damage prevention. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, Evacuees are returning home after Typhoon Hagibis which left 13 dead in in the Philippines last week, changed course.
Forecasters said Mitag-which had initially been expected to hit the central Bicol region of the Philippines-was gethering intensity off the coast of the islands and was now expected to make landfall in the north-eastern Philippine provinces of Aurora and Isabela on sunday night.
Government forecaster, Nathaniel Cruz, told the Associated Press news agency there was a ”strong possibility of storm surges.” He noted that Mitag could intensify into a ” super typhoon” with winds reaching 220 kilometers per hour ( 137mph).
The end result is that more things will be blown down and destroyed,” he said. Officials said that people in the central Albey region of the Philippines were especially relieved that the storm had changed course. The province is still recovering from last year’s Typhoon Durian which triggered flash floods and volcanic mudslides that killed more than 1,000 people.