Manila: Philippine authorities on Thursday ordered pre-emptive evacuations of residents in areas threatened by Tropical Storm Bualoi, which could trigger floods, landslides, and mudflows as it nears the country’s eastern coast. The storm, locally called Opong, was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 135 kph, while moving at 20 kph towards the eastern region of Bicol, the state weather bureau said.

According to Ghana News Agency, Bualoi is expected to make landfall over Bicol by Friday and exit the Philippines on Saturday evening, the bureau said. Storm warnings were raised in about 30 provinces, including the capital region of Metro Manila, as well as some areas that were recently hit by Typhoon Ragasa, which left more than 10 dead and nearly 25,000 people displaced.

Roderick Mendoza, head of the disaster agency in Albay province, one of the areas expected to be hit by Bualoi, said local officials were given the day to move residents to evacuation centres. ‘Local government officials have been told that within the day, residents should be evacuated from areas in danger of lahar [mudflows], floods and landslides,’ he said.

Schools and government offices were suspended in several provinces, while sea travel was halted. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology warned that intense rainfall could trigger volcanic sediment flows, or lahars, on Mayon Volcano, as well as muddy runoff in rivers and drainage areas.