Sawt Falasteen - Tens of thousands flee as Typhoon Man-yi nears Philippines

Man-yi will be the sixth major storm to pound the Philippines in the past month, killing at least 163 people, leaving thousands homeless and wiping out crops and livestock.

With wind gusts of up to 215 kilometres per hour (133 miles per hour), Man-yi was on track to slam into the sparsely populated island province of Catanduanes later Saturday or early Sunday.

About 255,000 people have already been evacuated from their homes in regions that are vulnerable to landslides, flooding and storm surges, Interior Undersecretary Marlo Iringan said Saturday.

Speaking on local radio station DWPM, Iringan pleaded for people to listen to the news, follow instructions of local officials and leave their homes early to avoid endangering lives.

"If preemptive evacuation is required, let us do so and not wait for the hour of peril before evacuating or seeking help, because if we did that we will be putting in danger not only our lives but also those of our rescuers," he said.

Scientists have warned climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.

About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the Southeast Asian nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people, but it is rare for multiple such weather events to take place in a small window.

Evacuation centres were filling up on Catanduanes island in the typhoon-prone Bicol region, which will bear the brunt of Man-yi when it makes landfall.

More than 400 people were squeezed into the provincial government building in the capital Virac, with new arrivals being sent to a gymnasium, provincial disaster officer Roberto Monterola told AFP.

"The Rawis gym has a history of typhoon damage so people are afraid to go there," Monterola said.

"The upper walls are made of glass which could shatter if hit by a strong gust of wind and they could get injured."

Monterola said he had dispatched soldiers to force about 100 households in two coastal villages near Virac to move inland due to fears storm surges could swamp their homes.

"Regardless of the exact landfall point, heavy rainfall, severe winds, and storm surges may occur in areas outside the predicted landfall zone," the weather forecaster said Saturday.

Man-yi will continue to intensify as it nears the Philippines and could "reach super typhoon category within the next hours prior to its landfall tonight", the forecaster said.

All vessels -- from fishing boats to oil tankers -- have been ordered to stay in port or return to shore.

The volcanology agency also warned heavy rain dumped by Man-yi could trigger flows of volcanic sediment, or lahars, from three volcanos, including Taal, south of Manila.

E.Qaddoumi--SF-PST