More than 700 residents living on the shoreline take refuge on Alcala Gymnasium after pre emptive evacuation due to Supertyphoon Lawin in Alcala town, Cagayan. INQUIRER PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
At least seven have been reported killed after Supertyphoon Lawin (international name Haima) slammed into Northern Luzon.
Ricardo Jalad, executive director of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said they received reports of fatalities from local police but these have yet to be validated.
One was reported dead in Ilocos region, two in Cagayan, and four in Cordillera, he said.
Supertyphoon Lawin made landfall late in Peñablanca, Cagayan on Wednesday night, toppling power and communication lines in most parts of Northern Luzon.
It was the strongest cyclone to hit the Philippines since supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.
READ: ‘Lawin’ rekindles fearsome memories of ‘Yolanda’ as it makes landfall
A report from the NDRRMC said that 90,850 persons were pre-emptively evacuated in Northern and Southern Luzon, and the Bicol region.
Loss of power and network signal interruption were also reported in parts of Northern Luzon.
READ: More provinces under Signal No. 5 as ‘Yolanda-like Lawin’ nears
As of initial assessment by the NDRRMC, there were 3,919 families or 15,328 persons displaced and 3,825 families or 14,895 persons are currently in evacuation centers. JE/rga