Typhoon Bopha makes landfall

Added by Gary Dunn on December 3, 2012

Typhoon Bopha, also known as typhoon Pablo, made landfall in the Philippines over Bagana, Davao Oriental at 4:30am (local time or 20:30 GMT/UTC) – about 150 km northeast of Digos city, the largest city on the Philippine island of Mindanao.

Bopha has a sustained wind speed of 175 km/h and gusts to 210 km/h and the storm is moving west and 26 km/h.

Thousands have been evacuated with over 7,000 people evacuated on Mindanao. The local government has opened 972 evacuation centers and over 50 districts are under a storm watch.

There are reports of approximately 3,400 people aboard a total of 266 watercraft stranded in ports all over the Philippines.

“Residents in coastal areas under public storm warning signal #2 and signal #3 are alerted against storm surges particularly those living in the coastal areas of Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat, Bohol and Leyte provinces where 3-6 meters wave height is expected,” said a bulletin by the state weather bureau.