Tropical Storm Trami has dumped heavy rain across the main island of the Philippines, triggering extensive flooding that’s affected around 150,000 people as the government shut most of its operations.
Trami — known locally as Kristine — has maintained its top sustained winds of 85 kilometres (53 miles) per hour, according to the latest notice from the nation’s weather bureau. The storm has accelerated and is forecast to cross the Luzon coast late Wednesday over the northern province of Isabela.
One person has died after being hit by a fallen tree south of Manila, while five have been reported injured, the Office of Civil Defense said. The Philippines has canceled currency trading and all schools in Luzon are shut.
“This is just the beginning of the rainfall,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said at a live-streamed conference on Wednesday. He ordered government officials to reach isolated areas as soon as possible and watch water levels in dams.
Authorities are struggling to rescue people stranded by widespread flooding in areas south of Manila, with some residents trapped on the roof of their homes, according to local media. Intense rainfall of over 200 millimetres (8 inches) will soak much of Luzon on Wednesday, the weather bureau said.
Trami has strong gale-force winds that extend outward up to 850km, and the storm is about 200km east of the coastal town of Casiguran, north of Manila. The bureau also warned of potentially life-threatening storm surge of up to 3 metres along parts of the Luzon coast.
The central bank suspended monetary operations, and the Bankers Association of the Philippines said earlier that the dollar/peso spot and swap markets are shut. The nation’s stock and fixed-income markets are open.
Over 5,000 passengers and dozens of vessels have been stranded at ports, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin’s office said late Tuesday that government agencies involved in health services, disaster response and other vital services aren’t covered by the suspension order. Work stoppage at private companies and offices is left to their discretion, according to a statement.
There is still some uncertainty about Trami’s trajectory after it tracks over the Philippines and back over the sea to the west of the country.
The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects the storm to move west over the South China Sea toward central Vietnam, and strengthen slightly. However, a belt of high pressure, known as a subtropical ridge, could keep Trami offshore and prevent a second landfall, the center added. Even so, Trami could bring rains to Vietnam, potentially affecting the harvesting of coffee.
The Philippines is among countries most exposed to more extreme weather events caused by climate change, with an average of 20 typhoons hitting the nation every year.