Storm surge from Super Typhoon Pepito floods Bicol coast, evacuations ongoing

A storm surge triggered by Super Typhoon Pepito (Man-yi) caused flooding in coastal areas of the Bicol Region on Saturday morning, November 16.

Videos circulating on social media showed flash floods sweeping through several villages in Tiwi, Albay, and knee-deep flooding in Barangay Jonop, Malinao town. In Legazpi City Boulevard, floodwaters due to storm surge inundated the area.

Residents were evacuated to higher ground prior to the storm surge, with some still preparing for evacuation at the time of the incident. Some fisherfolk brought their boats on land to prevent damage from waves and flooding.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) warned of a life-threatening storm surge with heights up to 3 meters in coastal areas of several provinces, including Catanduanes where the weather remains calm but some residents experienced flooding earlier Saturday morning.

Pepito intensified from typhoon to super typhoon status on Saturday morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 230 kph, with Pagasa forecasting its landfall near Catanduanes either late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, November 17.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Bicol reported that 177,189 individuals underwent preemptive evacuation across the region, most coming from Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur. As of Saturday afternoon, there are now 59,560 families or 184,259 individuals evacuated with more expected to evacuate in the coming hours.