A powerful typhoon slammed into the southeastern Philippines Thursday and was blowing across island provinces where nearly 100,000 people have been evacuated from high-risk areas that could be devastated by flash floods, landslides and tidal surges, officials said.
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There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage but military and coast guard rescue personnel were helping residents stranded by fast-rising waters. Disaster-response officials said about 10,000 villages lie in the projected path of the typhoon, which has a 400-kilometer (248-mile)-wide rain band and is one of the strongest to hit the country this year.
The Philippine coast guard said it has grounded all vessels, stranding nearly 4,000 passengers and workers in dozens of southern and central ports. Several mostly domestic flights have been canceled and schools and workplaces were shut in the most vulnerable areas.
Crowding in evacuation centers was complicating efforts to keep people safely distanced after authorities detected the country's first infections caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant. Vaccinations were also halted in provinces likely to experience stormy weather.
