An aerial photo shows a swollen river inundating farm fields and houses in Ilagan town, Isabela province. AFP/VNA Photo

MANILA – The Philippines on Wednesday ordered evacuations ahead of Typhoon Usagi, while the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) sought US$32.9 million in aid for the country after storms that killed more than 150 people.

The national weather service said Usagi, the fifth major storm to hit the country in three weeks, was likely to make landfall in Cagayan province on the northeast tip of the main island Luzon on Thursday.

Provincial civil defence chief Rueli Rapsing said mayors had been ordered to evacuate residents in vulnerable areas, by force if necessary, adding that as many as 40,000 in the province live in hazard-prone areas.

About 20 storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters each year, killing scores of people and keeping millions in enduring poverty.

A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change. VNA/VNS