PHILIPPINES – The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled dozens of flights as a “potentially catastrophic” typhoon – the sixth storm in a month – approaches the archipelago. Packing winds of 240km/h (149mph), Man-yi was upgraded to a super typhoon by state weather agency PAGASA.

“Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” the agency said, using the local name for the storm that was expected to make landfall near the province of Catanduanes on Saturday night or early on Sunday. It warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” for the central region of Bicol, where nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated.

Man-yi was heading towards the eastern part of the main island of Luzon, prompting PAGASA to raise its highest Category 5 alert for Catanduanes and Category 4 for the northern part of Camarines Sur province. As of 9pm Philippine Time (1300 GMT) the storm made its first landfall in the island of Catanduanes Province, according to the latest data from Japan Meteorological Agency. Both Catanduanes and Camarines Sur provinces are still recovering from the deadly Tropical Storm Trami, which hit the country in late October.

The mayor of Naga city in Camarines Sur imposed a curfew from midday on Saturday in a bid to force residents indoors. Civil defence administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr directed all government agencies “to prepare for the worst-case scenario” in areas where Man-yi is expected to hit. In one evacuation centre in Catanduanes, more than 400 people were squeezed into the provincial government building in the capital, Virac, with new arrivals being sent to a gymnasium, provincial disaster officer Roberto Monterola told the AFP news agency. (Al Jazeera) …[+]