At a press briefing in Geneva, Denis McClean, a spokesperson for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR),
said the Category 5 typhoon has triggered one of the largest peace time evacuations in Philippines history, noting
that the extent of the evacuation “appeared to rival” the one million people evacuated last year when Cyclone
Phailin threatened India’s coastline.
As a result, he said, schools and local Government offices had been closed and evacuation centres were filling up as
people were rapidly moving out of danger zones. While around 10 million residents of the Philippines are at risk of
flooding, storm surges and strong winds, “more than 30 million people could feel the impact,” he added. |
