The complicated path of storm No. 9
At 4:00 a.m. on December 18, the center of storm No. 9 was at about 11.1 degrees North latitude; 116.6 degrees East longitude, about 250km East Southeast of Song Tu Tay Island. The strongest wind near the storm center is level 14 (150-165km/h), gusting to level 17.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that in the next 24 hours, the storm will move rapidly in the West Northwest direction, traveling 20-25km per hour. At 4:00 a.m. on December 19, the center of the storm was at about 12.6 degrees North latitude; 111.5 degrees East longitude, about 250km east of Phu Yen - Khanh Hoa. The strongest wind near the storm center is level 13-14 (135-165km/h), gusting to level 16.
In the next 24 to 48 hours, the storm will change direction to the North-Northwest, traveling 15-20km per hour. At 4:00 a.m. on December 20, the center of the storm was at about 16.1 degrees North latitude; 110.2 degrees East longitude, about 200km east of Da Nang - Quang Nam. The strongest wind near the storm center is level 11-12 (100-135km/h), gusting to level 14.
Many people died, villages devastated when storm Rai attacked the Philippines
Previously, Typhoon Rai (local name Odette) made landfall in the Philippines nine times on December 17, blowing up houses, uprooting trees and cutting off power lines and communication lines in the Central provinces of the country.
At least 12 people have died in the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year, according to the Inquirer. More than 300,000 people have fled their homes and coastal resorts as Typhoon Rai strikes southern and central regions.
siargao Island was severely damaged, Ricardo Jalad, chief executive of the national disaster agency, said at a press conference. Jalad said 12 people were reported killed as the storm hit Palawan's popular tourist destination after devastating Visayas and Mindanao in the South.
ABS-CBN reporter Dennis Datu reported: We saw people walking on the streets, many of them dizzy. All buildings were severely damaged, including the provincial disaster office. It seems like it was hit by a bomb.
According to AP, a man died after debris fell on his head while local media reported serious damage to infrastructure.
Datu said that the main roads leading to the coastal city were cut off due to landslides, fallen trees and overturned power poles.
Expressing Typhoon Rai as one of the strongest storms ever to hit the southern Philippines - the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Riverenus (IFRC) said that the storm destroyed houses into pieces, destroyed villages and submerged many underwater areas.
More than 140,000 people have been severely affected. IFRC emergency workers are racing to rescue those trapped by severe flooding that has submerged large areas of the city, including Cagayan de Oro, Bohol and Kabankalan.
"The full picture is just starting to appear, but there is clearly widespread devastation," said Alberto Bocanegra, head of IFRC.
The Philippine Coast Guard shared photos on Twitter of damaged roofs and uprooted trees on the famous island.
Surigao City Mayor Ernesto Matugas told ABS-CBN that Typhoon Rai had devastated the city of about 170,000 people in a matter of hours, causing "serious" damage.
In Iloilo City, Western Visayas, Mayor Jerry Trenas told AP news agency that at least one person had died when a fallen tree hit him.
I have never experienced such a strong wind in my lifetime while we were not even directly affected, he said, adding that the coastal city had no power and was struggling with erratic cell phone signals.
According to Al Jazeera, authorities are issuing a drill to assess the extent of the damage caused by the storm. We have very little information at the moment, but the little information given seems quite bad. We are seeing people stuck on the roof, waiting for rescue. The houses were submerged and the airport was not in operation. The government said it is considering re-establishing communication lines to fully assess locations or how to send aid to those in need, Al Jazeera reported.
Typhoon Rai made landfall in the Philippines at the end of the typhoon season. Most of the storms develop between July and October.
Scientists have long warned that storms are getting stronger and intensifying faster, as the world becomes warmer due to human-caused climate change.
Superstorm Rai is equivalent to a Category 5 storm in the US. The Earth tends to be hit by about five such strong storms a year.
The Philippines, ranked as one of the world's most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, has been hit by an average of 20 typhoons a year, often sweeping away crops, homes and infrastructure in already poor areas.
The deadliest typhoon recorded in the Philippines was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed or left more than 7,300 people missing in 2013.
