Thousands of people are being evacuated in the Philippines ahead of Super Typhoon Mangkhut, which is expected to hit the island of Luzon early on Saturday.
The massive storm, known locally as Typhoon Ompong, is the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, has wind speeds of up to 285 km per hour (180 mph).
Around 4.3 million people could be exposed to the storm, the majority of them poor and vulnerable.
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How Caritas Philippines is preparing for Typhoon Mangkhut
Caritas Philippines has been doing preparedness activities for the typhoon in the Philippines through its local centers and with Catholic Relief Services, including packing of relief goods, deployment of emergency staff and volunteers, and coordination with internal and external partners.
Fr. Edwin A. Gariguez, NASSA/Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary says:
“It is not only the strong winds, heavy rains, flooding and landslides that we have to prepare for. We need to remind the public and the local government officials that a 6-meter storm surge is possible as warned by the Philippine weather bureau. Therefore, adequate and appropriate preparedness measures need to be in place at this point,”
Caritas centers along the typhoon path have been undergoing emergency preparedness and response trainings since 2014.
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Press contact in the Philippines
Journalists seeking more information should contact:
Jing Rey Henderson, Communications and Partnership Development Coordinator
+63 (0905) 546-9977 / 525-1924 or jhenderson.nassacaritasph@gmail.com