According to the storm forecast of the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, by 1:00 p.m. on October 24, storm Tra Mi will move northwest, then possibly change direction to west-southwest at a speed of 15-20 km/h, in the eastern sea area of the northern East Sea and enter the East Sea, becoming storm number 6.
The storm's strongest wind is level 9, gusting to level 11. The affected area is the eastern part of the northern East Sea; disaster risk level 3.
The latest storm information from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that at 1 p.m. on October 23, the center of Typhoon Kristine (local name of Typhoon Tra Mi) was at about 16.1 degrees north latitude, 123.6 degrees east longitude, 155 km east of Casiguran, Aurora. The strongest wind near the center of the storm was 85 km/h, gusting up to 105 km/h and the central pressure was 985 hPa.
Philippine media have reported the terrible damage caused by Typhoon Kristine in many areas. Rappler reported that rescue workers in Bicol have been struggling to cope with the aftermath of Typhoon Tra Mi for more than 24 hours. Exhaustion and the sheer scale of the devastation have left them struggling with difficult choices.
The situation has spiraled out of control. With residents stranded across Bicol, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) said its team can no longer handle the surge in rescue requests.
Police said that as of 6:00 a.m. on October 23, in Bicol, at least 3 people were killed, 1 person was missing, and 6 people were injured; in Palanas, Masbate, at least 1 person was killed, 7 people were missing...
Engineer Dante Baclao - head of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) - said more than 17,000 individuals and 5,900 families have been evacuated to shelters.
“Almost all cities and municipalities in Albay are flooded. We are prioritizing areas with the most urgent needs,” Baclao said.
The Libon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) suspended rescue operations at around 5 p.m. on October 22 due to flooding and weather conditions that could pose serious danger to rescuers.
Libon is expected to experience more intense flooding in the coming hours, as the town remains a drainage basin for other areas in Albay.
Apart from Libon, Legazpi City, Daraga and Camalig have also suffered severe flooding. Residents are calling for help as floodwaters rise rapidly. Floodwaters as deep as 1.8 meters have caused panic among residents.
Meanwhile, landslides occurred in Ligao and Guinobatan. Two people were confirmed dead, one person is still missing and two people were rescued after six hours of searching.
Typhoon Tra Mi evokes memories of Typhoon Yagi, which swept through the Philippines in early September, killing at least 16 people, injuring 15, leaving 21 others missing, affecting 1.7 million people, and causing about $4 billion in infrastructure damage.
Typhoon Yagi - or storm number 3 - has also severely devastated many provinces and cities in Vietnam. The strongest storm in the East Sea in the past 30 years has left 329 people dead or missing; total economic damage is estimated at about 40,000 billion VND.
