Rescuers help residents as they negotiate floods caused by powerful...

Rescuers help residents as they negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. Credit: AP/Bernie Dela Cruz

MANILA, Philippines — A powerful typhoon was lashing the northernmost islands of the Philippines Monday, prompting officials to evacuate villagers, shut down schools and inter-island ferries and warn of “potentially very destructive” damage to coastal villages.

Typhoon Krathon was last tracked over the coastal waters of Balintang island off the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes with sustained winds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) and gusts of up to 215 kph (133 mph), according to government forecasters.

The slow-moving Krathon was blowing westward and could strengthen into a super typhoon when it veers northeastward Tuesday toward Taiwan, they said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage

Guilmar Cabejo, a police officer on the island of Sabtang in typhoon-prone Batanes, said the streets were deserted in the town of more than 1,800 people as the ferocious wind rattled roofs, walls and trees.

“There’s nobody outside, zero, because the wind is so strong,” Cabejo told The Associated Press by cellphone. “Nobody could stand normally outside in this wind, it will force anybody down to the ground."

Residents, locally renowned for their resilience against seasonal storms, strengthened their roofs with ropes, covered windows with wooden boards and secured their fishing boats away from the sea two days before the typhoon hit, he said.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather specialist Veronica...

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather specialist Veronica Torres points at an electronic board to show the strength of powerful Typhoon Krathon on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Quezon city, Philippines as it is projected to go towards Taiwan the next day after hitting northern Philippines. Credit: AP/Aaron Favila

The weather agency warned of “moderate to high risk of life-threatening storm surge” in the next 48 hours in the coastal villages of Batanes, the nearby Babuyan islands and Cagayan province and said fierce winds could rip off roofs, topple trees, damage farmlands and whip up high waves.

"The situation is potentially very destructive to the community,” it said.

Hundreds of villagers were evacuated away from the coast and flood-prone communities in Cagayan province, where power outages were reported. Classes in all levels were suspended Monday in several northern provinces as a precaution, officials said.

Sea voyages were also halted in northern towns and provinces being battered or threatened by the typhoon, locally called Julian, officials said.

A truck negotiates flood waters caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon...

A truck negotiates flood waters caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. Credit: AP/Bernie Dela Cruz

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago also lies in the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones in the world, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines.

Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Credit: Newsday

Mets comeback ... Yanks prep ... Hamptons Film Festival preview ... FeedMe: Top 50

SUBSCRIBE

Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months

ACT NOWSALE ENDS SOON | CANCEL ANYTIME