Philippines hit with second typhoon in a week

A second typhoon in a week pounded the Philippines on Saturday, prompting evacuations and causing severe flooding.

Typhoon Nalgae, known locally as Quiel, had lost some strength Saturday night. But it still had maximum sustained winds of 150 kph (95 mph), with gusts recorded 35 kph stronger, according to a 5 p.m. Saturday advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration. At that point, its center was 40 km west-northwest of Baguio City.

The storm follows Typhoon Nesat, which left at least 52 people dead and caused damage in 34 provinces since it hit Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

The two typhoons will or have already affected about 3 million Filipinos, the non-profit World Vision group estimated in a news release Saturday.

The latter -- Nalgae -- made landfall in Dinapigue, in Isabela province, on Saturday morning, the disaster council said. It is expected to have moved past the east Asian island nation by Sunday morning, forecasters said.

By day's end, the storm had made several roads impassable in the cities of Calasiao and Dagupan on Luzon island, the state-run Philippines News Agency. Affected residents are being evacuated from those communities and others, including Santa Barbara.

Also Saturday, the San Roque Power Corporation opened two gates at one of its dams along the Agno River in north Luzon, due to high waters there related to the storm, the news agency said.

Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte earlier Saturday urged residents of low-lying and mountainous areas that could be hit hard by the storm to evacuate, the state news agency said, citing an interview conducted on a government radio station.

World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization, said Saturday that it had to postpone some of its relief efforts due to Nalgae, with two of three emergency teams set to deploy once the storm passes. Another team is in Bulcan province, most of which is "still submerged" because of Nesat.

The group is focusing its post-Nesat efforts on two communities in Manila and three in the northern Isabela and Zambales provinces. Vouchers are being distributed so people can buy needed items, some emergency supplies are being given out directly to citizens and 3,000 Manila children will receive school supplies.

Sherbien Dacalanio, a CNN iReporter in the Philippines, described one area of Manila as being devastated by Nesat.

"The damage is shocking. It's like a damage brought by earthquake and tsunami," Dacalanio said.