Supertyphoon threatens PH
No supertyphoon
While Maysak continued to intensify as it neared PAR, the weather bureau said the cyclone would not hit the Philippines as a supertyphoon.
The typhoon will weaken as it nears the Luzon landmass, according to Pagasa.
“It may further intensify but while it nears land, it will weaken,” Pagasa meteorologist Shelly Ignacio said. “We will not be hit by a supertyphoon.”
Pagasa said the vertical wind shear over Luzon would weaken the incoming cyclone.
Effects by Good Friday
Article continues after this advertisementIgnacio said that while the typhoon would enter PAR either late Wednesday or early Thursday, its effects would not be felt until Friday.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Bicol Region will experience rains, but not stormy weather, by Friday before the cyclone affects northern and Central Luzon for the rest of the weekend, according to Ignacio.
Direct hit
Widespread damage was reported in Chuuk, which suffered a direct hit on Monday.
“Chuuk was devastated,” Kembo Mida, a lawyer in Chuuk, said in an e-mail to the Ayuda Foundation relief organization, which is based in Guam about 1,000 kilometers away.
“Houses were blown away and trees snapped in half. It was very dangerous and scary… a ship sank too.”
The Pacific News Center in Guam said FSM public information officer Marz Akapito “is reporting that five people have died in Chuuk state due to typhoon Maysak.”
Category 5
Maysak was expected to have intensified to a maximum Category 5 storm by the time it hit Yap early Wednesday.
Neville Koop, a meteorologist with Fiji’s Na Draki weather service, said at its peak the typhoon would have winds of 270 kph with gusts up to 340 kph.
“This typhoon will be very destructive,” Koop told AFP. “At its peak Typhoon Maysak will be as strong as Cyclone Pam.”
Pam slammed into Vanuatu over two weeks ago, causing widespread damage and leaving 11 people dead in the South Pacific nation. With reports from Julie M. Aurelio, Nikko Dizon, AFP and AP
Originally posted: 6:32 PM | Tuesday, March 31st, 2015
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