MANILA, Philippines, MILLAT+(APP/AFP) – A strong typhoon
was set to wallop the Philippines on Christmas Day, officials warned Friday, as millions of people criss-cross the mostly Catholic nation to celebrate one of the most
important dates on the religious calendar.
Nock-Ten was expected to be packing winds of up to 194 kilometres (120 miles) an hour and gusts of nearly 241 kilometres an hour when it hit the eastern tip of the archipelago’s main island of Luzon on Sunday, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.
The Philippine’s weather bureau is predicting more modest wind speeds.
“Our people are being made aware that we could get hit on Christmas Day,” Romina Marasigan, spokeswoman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told AFP.
“The highest levels of preparedness are being undertaken,” she said,
including stocking up designated evacuation centres with food and other
provisions.