16:18, May 23, 2011
Typhoon Songda closed in upon the Philippines early Monday morning, and was moving northwest at 13 kilometer per hour (kph), the local weather bureau said.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that the center of Songda (local name: Chedeng) was earlier located at 880 kilometers east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, with maximum sustained winds of 95 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 120 kph.
The typhoon is forecast to reach 620 km east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar by Tuesday morning. It will bring rain and wind in Bicol and Manila in the next few days.
The Philippine government ordered preemptive evacuation of families if necessary in areas which could be affected by tropical storm Songda.
"The public and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils were advised to take appropriate precautionary measures such as preemptive evacuation of families in low-lying and mountainous areas as necessary," said Undersecretary Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
But Pagasa said that the weather disturbance is expected not to directly affect any part of the country within the next 24 hours.