A tropical storm threatened the northern and eastern Philippines on Friday, prompting warnings against landslides and flashfloods in affected areas, dpa reported. The weather bureau said tropical storm Chebi "has intensified further as it continues to move closer" to the northern Philippines. Chebi was packing sustained winds of 95 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 120 kilometres per hour, the bureau said. The storm, moving at 24 kilometres per hour, was expected to hit the northern provinces of Quirino, Isabela, and Aurora on Saturday. "Residents in areas under storm warning signals, including those living in coastal areas, are alerted for possible flashfloods and landslides," the weather bureau said in a bulletin. Chebi followed deadly typhoon Cimaron, which hit the Philippines in late October, leaving 23 people dead and 15 others missing and presumed dead.
