A strong typhoon barrelled into the north-eastern Philippines on Sunday, ripping off roofs and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, disaster relief officials said, according to dpa. Typhoon Noul packed maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 220 kph as it made landfall over the northeastern province of Cagayan, the weather bureau said. The storm was moving north-west at a slower pace of 17 kph and would bring heavy rains over more than 12 provinces, it added. Thousands of residents living in coastal areas were evacuated after the weather bureau warned the typhoon could trigger tidal surges of up to 2 metres. Alexander Pama, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, urged residents to be on alert for flash floods and landslides. The category 4 typhoon also prompted authorities to cancel several domestic flights and stop sea travel, stranding at least 5,000 for the second day.
