Over a hundred people have been evacuated as Chanthu hits the Philippines

Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes when typhoon Chanthu smashed into the northern Philippines on Saturday. Meteorologists reported Chanthu had sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 250 kilometres per hour when it made landfall in Batanes province. In Batanes, the national disaster agency has received reports of roofs being torn off, as well as power outages in the adjacent province of Cagayan, although there have been no reports of deaths yet.

Fearing flash floods and landslides induced by rain, at least 415 people evacuated the worst-affected districts before it arrived, according to the agency. Towards the end of Saturday, the storm was forecast to pass through Batanes before heading toward Taiwan, where many weather alerts had been issued. There was heavy rain and high gusts in Taiwan on Saturday, prompting President Tsai Ing-wen () to encourage citizens not to venture out.

“People living in low-lying coastal areas and mountains have to stay highly alert,” Tsai said. Chanthu, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, is now in the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

Chanthu is forecast to travel north and the storm’s eye will pass off Taiwan’s east coast on Sunday, according to the bureau. It was predicted that it might affect southern China at the time. According to Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration, scores of domestic and international flights were delayed or cancelled on Saturday.