Typhoon Hits Philippines on Christmas Eve, Disrupting Travel

(Bloomberg) -- An intensifying storm struck the Philippines on Christmas Eve, disrupting holiday travel plans in Asia’s largest Catholic nation.

Typhoon Phanfone, called Ursula locally and upgraded from a tropical storm, hit the central Philippines on Tuesday, stranding thousands of travelers and prompting authorities to advise residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to leave their homes.

Phanfone made landfall in Eastern Samar province at 4:45 p.m. local time, according to the weather bureau Pagasa. The 21st cyclone to hit the country this year, it packed sustained winds as fast as 120 kilometers (75 miles) per hour and gusts as strong as 150 kph, the bureau said in a 5 p.m. report.

Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Air have canceled dozens of domestic flights and the coast guard banned sea travel on the storm’s projected path, according to their social media posts and local reports. About 24,000 passengers were stranded in various seaports, with Filipinos traditionally leaving for their hometowns to be with their families at Christmas.

The eyewall of the typhoon “is bringing violent winds” over the southern portion of Eastern Samar, the state weather forecaster said. More than 40 areas in Luzon and Visayas were placed on typhoon warning. Metro Manila, placed under signal 1 or the lowest in a five-step warning system, is forecast to experience moderate to strong winds on Wednesday.

About 20 cyclones pass through the disaster-prone Philippines each year. Phanfone, although weaker, is tracking a similar path as Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.

--With assistance from Tom Redmond.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ditas Lopez in Manila at dlopez55@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Cecilia Yap at cyap19@bloomberg.net, Stephanie Phang, Michael S. Arnold

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