Typhoon Noul Kills 2, Forces Thousands to Evacuate in Northern Philippines

The Associated Press
Published: May 11,2015



 
Typhoon Noul slammed into the northern Philippines on Sunday, sending thousands evacuating and killing at least two people.
According to the Philippines' weather bureau, Noul made landfall in Santa Ana, a coastal town in Cagayan province Sunday afternoon local time and has since weakened.
Norma Talosig, the civil defense regional director, says that two men were electrocuted in Cagayan's Appari town. Around 3,500 people evacuated to shelters Sunday and have returned to their homes Monday.
(MORE: Noul Makes Landfall) 
This weekend, public works personnel were using chain saws to clear roads of fallen trees in Cagayan's Gonzaga town, DZMM radio reported. Some towns in the province were without power.
Now approaching Japan, Noul is already causing problems on the country's southernmost islands. In Miyakojima, Okinawa, around 4,100 households have lost power, according to NHK.
At Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, classes are canceled and emergency preparations are being made.

About 300 people who had fled to shelters near Mount Bulusan, southeast of Manila, returned home Sunday after the typhoon moved northward, sparing the province mudslides involving volcanic debris, said Joric dela Rosa, a civil defense worker in the region.
The coast guard suspended ferry services in areas affected by the typhoon, stranding more than 5,000 passengers.
About 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines each year. The strongest on record to make landfall, Typhoon Haiyan, devastated the central Philippines in November 2013, claiming more than 7,300 lives.
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