MANILA (Reuters): A powerful typhoon, the second to hit the Philippines in a week, slammed into two northern rice-producing provinces on Saturday, dumping heavy rain, downing power lines and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents in danger of landslides.
Typhoon Nalgae, packing winds of up to 160 kph (100 mph), slammed into coastal areas of Isabela and Aurora provinces, bringing the risk of landslides and flash floods, weather bureau chief Graciano Yumul told a news conference.
"Typhoon Nalgae is now bringing extremely heavy rain in the northern Luzon area," Yumul said, referring to the Philippines' main island.
"In the next six hours, an estimated 10-18 mm per hour of rains will be experienced in these areas, filling up dams and causing river systems to swell. After Nesat, the soil can no longer absorb rainwater."
Nalgae could cause floods on Luzon's central plains, he said, before passing through La Union province, a tobacco-growing area, and then heading off into the South China Sea.
Tropical Storm Risk, which monitors storms world-wide, said Negale was a category 4 typhoon with winds of up to 250 kph.
Faustino Dy, governor of Isabela province, said hundreds of people in coastal areas had been evacuated as rain and strong cut power lines, uprooted trees and blocked roads with debris.
The national disaster agency said the death toll from Typhoon Nesat, which hit the country on Tuesday, had risen to 50, with 31 people still missing.
The damage bill for the earlier storm stood at 6 billion pesos ($137 million), the agency said. More than 180,000 people were in temporary shelters in dozens of towns north of Manila.
The weather bureau said another storm was developing in the Pacific and might hit northern Philippines late next week
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