Typhoon Koppu moved towards main Philippine island of Luzon on Friday. This prompted storm alerts in nearly 20 provinces and placing army and police units on standby.
Typhoon Koppu Highlights:
- Centeral winds of 130 kph (80 mph)
- About 585 km (360 miles) east of northeast Aurora province and moving west at 15 kph.
- Tropical Storm Risk forecast that it would gain strength overnight
- The faster the Koppu shifts northward, the more likely it is that the storm will cross near or east of Taiwan and then be pulled northeast with some impacts possible for Japan.
“We have placed military and emergency workers on alert,” Alexander Pama, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said.
An average of 22 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. The strongest-ever typhoon, super typhoon Haiyan, hit the land in the year 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and leaving millions homeless.
Source: AccuWeather
