Typhoon Hagupit approaches the Philippines.

(Baonghean.vn) - Tens of thousands of people are forced to seek shelter as Super Typhoon Hagupit approaches the Philippines.

Typhoon Hagupit, with winds reaching 230 km/h, is expected to make landfall on Saturday evening.

Super Typhoon Hagupit

The storm is likely to make landfall in the provinces of Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and the city of Tacloban, where thousands of people were killed by Typhoon Haiyan last year.

Coastal residents who were living in temporary shelters have been evacuated to avoid the storm.

During a meeting with leaders of the Disaster Committee on Friday afternoon, President Benigno Aquino requested that adequate food supplies be provided to affected areas and that the military and police be deployed to prevent looting as a result of the storm.

According to state media, President Aquino said there were “no signs” that this storm would be as strong as Haiyan (known as Yolanda in the Philippines – the strongest typhoon in Philippine history. In December 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck central Philippines, killing and leaving more than 7,000 people missing).

The projected path of Typhoon Hagupit

According to the latest news from the Philippine meteorological and hydrological center, Typhoon Hagupit has weakened somewhat, although the storm winds remain very strong.

Philippine officials warned that Typhoon Hagupit would bring strong winds and heavy rain, leading to landslides in coastal provinces.

In some provinces, schools and government offices were forced to close. Long lines of people flocked to shops and gas stations to stock up on essential supplies to weather the storm.

In Tacloban City, many residents are taking shelter in stadiums.

Mariano Tan Jr., a local resident, said: “Unlike last year’s Typhoon Haiyan, we foresaw the consequences of this storm. We prepared and stockpiled everything we needed, such as clean water, rice, beans, and fuel. We also prepared for power outages.”

“We will stay here. We survived last year, and tomorrow we will do the same. We will stand our ground because no natural disaster can divide the Filipino people.”

Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Commission spokesman Ildebrando Bernadas said that approximately 19,000 coastal residents have been gathered in 26 evacuation camps. He said this number could double as authorities enforce coercive measures to force people to evacuate from the danger zone.

The deputy mayor of Tacloban said, “We haven’t fully recovered from Super Typhoon Haiyan, and now we have to face another disaster. It brings back painful memories of what happened during Super Typhoon Haiyan.”

According to Philippine meteorological centers, as of 4 PM local time on Friday, Super Typhoon Hagupit was approximately 370km east of the coast of Eastern Samar province and was moving relatively slowly at a speed of 13km/h.

Although it has weakened somewhat, Typhoon Hagupit is still very strong, with maximum wind speeds of 201 km/h (equivalent to Category 16). It is predicted that 35 provinces and cities will be directly affected by the typhoon.

The U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center classified Hagupit as a super typhoon. Although it was downgraded on Friday morning, it remains the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.

Meteorologists said at one point that Typhoon Hagupit was very likely to veer north towards Japan, avoiding the Philippines. However, this scenario is increasingly being deemed unlikely.

Truong Huu Quy