As of December 15, 16, and 17th 2021, Typhoon Rai intensified to a Category 5 storm on Thursday as it pummelled the Philippines with heavy rain and strong winds, bringing storm surges to some areas and officials warning of rain-induced landslides.
It also brought about unusual sights as in Cagayan de Oro, the Philippine Coast Guard was seen wading through chest-deep water pushing a floating plastic tub they said had a baby inside. As well, people were seen carrying a coffin down a flooded street in Agusan del Sur. Thousands of people were evacuated in Cebu City in the Philippines on December 16 as Typhoon Rai swept across the country Philippines. Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia declares a state of calamity in the province Friday.
Rai, the 15th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year 2021, weakened slightly from a Category 5 to a Category 3 storm after making landfall Thursday on Siargao Island, a popular tourist and surfing destination on the central east coast.
The storm, which had initially packed winds of up to 260 kilometers per hour (160 miles per hour) with gusts over 300 kilometers per hour (185 miles per hour), later moved west bringing with it heavy rain and widespread flooding. It is expected to pull away from the country late Friday.
Communication and power were out in several parts of the Philippines Friday, making rescue efforts difficult -- with officials unable to determine the extent of damage due to the outages.
The storm hit several heavily populated areas, including Cebu late Thursday, a city of nearly 1 million people. Typhoon Rai made landfall in the Philippines on Thursday, bringing with it sustained winds of up to 195 kilometers (120 miles) an hour.
Typhoon Rai slammed into the southeastern part of the Philippines on Thursday, bringing heavy rains and flooding that displaced thousands over a large area. At least 17 people were killed, but the death toll was expected to rise.
The typhoon, the 15th major weather disturbance to hit the country this year, intensified rapidly in the morning and was classified as a super typhoon, with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour near the center and gusts of up to 168 miles per hour. The designation is similar to a Category 5 hurricane in the United States.
The Coast Guard said the situation in the south was dire, with rescuers reporting taking a baby to safety using a plastic basin. They also used rubber boats to ferry people to safety, as the waters quickly rose in Cagayan de Oro, a city of 730,000 on Mindanao Island that is bisected by a major river system.
The Office of Civil Defense in Manila said that nearly 100,000 people in several regions had been moved to safer ground. Communications were disrupted in many areas, making it hard to immediately assess the situation.
Thousands of people have evacuated so far and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said Rai was pushing out maximum sustained winds of 185 km-an-hour near its center.
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