According to the storm forecast of the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, by 1:00 p.m. on October 24, storm Trami will move northwest, then likely 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 No. 6.
The strongest wind of the storm is level 9, gusting to level 11. The affected area is the eastern part of the northern East Sea; the natural disaster risk level 3.
The latest storm information from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that at 1:00 p.m. on October 23, the center of Typhoon Kristine (local name of Typhoon Trami) was at about 16.1 degrees north latitude, 123.6 degrees east longitude, 155 km east of Casiguran, Aurora. Maximum winds near the center of the storm are 85 km/h, gusting up to 105 km/h and central pressure is 985 hPa.
The Philippine press has reported on the terrible damage caused by Typhoon Kristine in many areas. Rappler reported that rescue forces in Bicol have been struggling to cope with the aftermath of Typhoon Trami for more than 24 hours. The storm's exhaustion and terrible scale of devastation have left them struggling with difficult choices.
The situation has gone out of control. With residents stranded across Bicol, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) said its team could no longer handle the surge in rescue requests.
Police said that as of 6:00 a.m. on October 23, at least 3 people had died, 1 person was missing and 6 people were injured in Bicol; in Palanas, Masbate, at least 1 person died, 7 people were missing...
Engineer Dante Baclao - head of the Albay Office of Emergency and Public Safety Management (APSEMO) - said more than 17,000 individuals and 5,900 families had been evacuated to shelters.
"Almost all cities and urban areas in Albay are flooded. We prioritize areas with the most urgent needs, Baclao said.
Libon's 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 a serious danger to rescuers.
Libon is expected to see more intense flooding in the coming hours, as the town remains a drainage basin for other areas in Albay.
In addition to Libon, Legazpi City, Daraga and Camalig have also suffered severe flooding. People cried for help because the floodwaters rose rapidly. Floods up to 1.8m deep caused panic among residents.
Meanwhile, landslides have occurred in Ligao and Guinobatan. Two people were confirmed dead, one remains missing and two were rescued after a six-hour search.
Typhoon Trami evokes the haunting image 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 infrastructure damage of about 4 million USD.
Typhoon Yagi - or Typhoon No. 3 - also severely damaged many provinces and cities in Vietnam. The strongest storm in the East Sea in the past 30 years left 329 people dead or missing; total economic damage is estimated at about VND40,000 billion.
