In terms of strength, it is the equivalent of a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane. After making landfall, Goni was downgraded to a typhoon, with sustained wind speeds slowing slightly to 215 kph (140 miles per hour).
Provincial Governor Al Francis Bichara said there had been four reported deaths so far, including one hit by a tree and a five-year-old washed away after a river overflowed. The disaster management agency could not confirm the report.
Video footage by news channels and on social media showed rivers overflowing and some dikes destroyed, submerging villages in Bicol.
Also Read: Weather Warnings Guide
Philippine authorities evacuated nearly one million people to safer ground as Goni, which is known locally as Rolly, approached the eastern provinces. On Sunday morning it made landfall in Catanduanes and Albay in the Bicol region.
The Philippines weather bureau said “catastrophic violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall” were expected to prevail over Bicol provinces as well as portions of Quezon, Laguna and Batangas, south of the capital Manila.
The capital Manila is currently in the projected path of Goni, the 18th tropical storm in the country so far this year, with the weather bureau predicting “intense” rainfall and storm surges for the city.
A third landfall is expected to hit Quezon province later in the day, weather forecaster Lorie dela Cruz told a radio station.
Storm surge alerts have been issued, while officials have also reminded those in evacuation centers to observe social distancing as the coronavirus spread is also a concern.
Dozens of international and domestic flights have been canceled as the civil aviation authority ordered a one-day closure of Manila’s main gateway, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Goni is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines since super typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.
Tropical Storm Atsani was still more than 1,200 km (745.6 miles) east of the Philippines at 7 p.m. ET Saturday and substantially weaker than Goni, but PAGASA said it is likely to strengthen over Sunday and Monday.