MANILA: The Philippines' weather forecaster warned of dangerous flooding in coastal areas as Tropical Storm Matmo is set to hit the disaster-weary nation.
The cyclone, bringing winds of 75 kilometres an hour, is expected to strengthen into a severe tropical storm hours before it reaches the main island of Luzon on Friday morning. "There is a moderate to high risk of life-threatening storm surge with peak heights reaching 1.0 to 3.0 metres within 36 hours over the low-lying or exposed coastal localities" of northern and eastern Luzon, the national weather service said.
Storm surges occur when strong winds push large volumes of seawater towards the coast, and have the potential to cause flooding, property damage and death.
There were no immediate government orders of evacuations, but the weather service said heavy rains are forecast and the seas will be rough and "risky for all types or tonnage of vessels". - AFP
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