Typhoon Xangsane Impacting the Central Philippines

Typhoon Xangsane (18W) is crossing through the central Philippine Islands, packing sustained 125 knot winds (144 miles per hour), with gusts near 150 knots (173 mph)—the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane. The track of this major typhoon takes it very near the heavily-populated city of Manila. Manila will be located to the right of the eye of Xangsane’s track, making it vulnerable to the storm’s most dangerous impacts.

According to Reuters, the National Disaster Coordinating Council shut down port operations in the potential path of the storm. Other news outlets report that 100 families are trapped by floodwaters in a town south of Manila. Rescue operations are underway, but are being hampered by the adverse weather conditions. Xangsane will exit the Philippines on a track across the South China Sea, towards the east coast of Vietnam.

Please click on the links below for the latest information on this rapidly-developing situation:

Date	Latest Updates
Ongoing	Information from PDC's Natural Hazards Atlas.
Ongoing	Tracking information from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Ongoing	Disaster briefs from AlertNet.
Ongoing	Updates from the BBC.
Ongoing	Daily reporting from the Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance.