Powerful typhoon slams into Philippines
At least two people have been killed in a powerful typhoon that slammed into the northeastern tip of the Philippines. Authorities say the evacuation of nearly 3,500 people in coastal villages has averted a higher toll.
Typhoon Noul
According to local media, a father and his son were electrocuted while checking the roof of their house in Aparri, Cagayan, on Sunday morning as Typhoon "Noul" - locally known as "Dodong" - approached the province. Authorities, however, said they were not expecting significant casualties after most residents heeded pre-emptive evacuation orders.
Seeking shelter
The evacuations had begun on Friday, with more than 3,000 people leaving coastal fishing communities in Isabela and Cagayan province, and hundreds more from villages near the slopes of Bulusan volcano in the central region. Noul was the fourth and strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Warnings
Civil defense authorities had warned of dangerous storm surges of up to two meters (6.5 feet). They said the winds were strong enough to stir uproot trees, blow roofs off houses, topple lamp posts and destroy crops. Authorities had feared the heavy rains could also trigger volcanic mud flows after the volcano started belching ash earlier this month.
Returning home
Residents along Manila Bay (seen here) repaired the roofs of their homes in anticipation of the storm. Many of the thousands who fled started to return home after typhoon Noul whipped the coast with wind gusts of up to 220 kilometers (137 miles) per hour. At least five towns in the area remain without power, the National Grid Corporation said.
Another typhoon?
The typhoon is forecast to exit the Philippines by Tuesday morning, headed to southern Japan. However, weather experts say another storm is brewing in the Pacific Ocean that could threaten the Philippines early next week.
Prone to typhoons
The Philippines is hit by about 20 major storms a year, many of them deadly. The Southeast Asian archipelago is often the first major landmass to be struck after storms build above the warm Pacific Ocean waters.
Fear of 'Haiyan'
In November 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan (seen here), locally known as "Yolanda" whipped tsunami-like waves in the central Philippines, devastating the eastern islands of Samar and Leyte and leaving at least 6,300 people dead and over 1,000 missing in one of the Philippines' worst natural disasters.