The super typhoon made landfall in the Cagayan province, in the northeastern part of Luzon Island, in the early afternoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour before weakening to a typhoon, the Philippine national weather service PAGASA said.
Over 5,000 residents of the province were already staying in temporary shelters following a four back-to-back typhoons, news television network Al Jazeera reported. Local authorities estimate that the total number of evacuees has reached 40,000 this time.
It is expected that the critical situation caused by the storm will persist for several days. The forecast includes torrential rains, falling trees, and waves of up to three meters (10 feet) in height.
In late October, at least 145 people were killed after Tropical Storm Trami and Super Typhoon Kong-rey barreled through the Philippines. The number of people affected by the disaster across the country exceeded 7 million. In early November, typhoons Yinxing and Toraji hit the Philippines, leading to the evacuation of thousands of people.