Two dead after powerful typhoon passes north Philippines

Two people were killed after a powerful storm grazed the country’s northeastern tip over the weekend, civil defence officials said on Monday. Many of the people evacuated from the storm’s path started to return home late Sunday night, after Noul - the fourth and strongest storm to hit the Philippines so far this year - whipped coastal villages with wind gusts of up to 220 kilometres per hour. Authorities said they were not expecting significant casualties after most heeded evacuation orders issued from Friday.

People listened to our warnings. They’ve learned their lesson from past storms.

Norma Talosig, civil defence director for the northeastern region

Most of the 3,000 people who left coastal fishing villages in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan have started to return home, Talosig said. Another 300 people have returned to villages near the slopes of Bulusan volcano in the central region. Authorities feared Noul’s heavy rains would trigger volcanic mud flows. Bulusan has had two minor ash explosions since May 1. The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 storms per year, many of them deadly.

Asia-Pacific Noul