Dikhyaa Mohanty 
At least four people were killed and one other person remained unaccounted for after super typhoon Noru hit the Philippines. Deemed to be the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year, Noru caused gusts of up to 240 kph on the main island of Luzon, where more than half of the country’s 110 million population live.
According to the official reports, the storm experienced an “explosive intensification” as it made the first landfall west of Luzon earlier on Sunday, and then it made a second one at about 8.20 p.m. on the same night. The victims were personnel from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, who were washed away in flash floods while carrying out rescue operations in the San Miguel district.
The report further added that over 74,000 people had been evacuated from the typhoon’s path and warnings of “serious flooding” were also issued for areas in the capital Manila. Flights and ferry services were cancelled, while government offices and schools were also asked to remain closed. Noru is expected to leave the Philippines by Monday evening, as per the forecasters.
The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, is highly vulnerable to storms. It sees an annual average of 20 tropical storms.
