Manila: The Philippines is bracing for a severe tropical storm that's expected to hit its northern tip days after Super Typhoon Goni left.
Storm Atsani will likely strengthen into a typhoon with peak intensity of 120 kilometers per hour as it passes over the vicinity of Batanes province or Babuyan Islands early Friday, the Philippine weather bureau said. It is forecast to accelerate over the South China Sea and head to Vietnam on Saturday.
Super Typhoon Goni, the world's strongest storm this year, killed at least 20 people, left thousands homeless and damaged 6.8 billion pesos ($141 million) worth of infrastructure and agriculture, according to the Philippines' disaster risk-monitoring agency.
An average of 20 cyclones pass through disaster-prone Philippines every year, which will likely complicate the nation's fight against the coronavirus as thousands of people stay in cramped evacuation sites. In 2013, Haiyan killed more than 6,300 people.
