Flooding from TS Kristine affects 380,000 people in Bicol

At least 380,000 people in the Bicol Region are affected by widespread flooding caused by severe Tropical Storm Kristine even before it makes a landfall, Office of Civil Defense director and spokesman Edgar Posadas said. The latest PAGASA bulletin showed TS Kristine continues to intensify and now has sustained winds of 95 kilometers per hour with gustiness of 115 kph. It is expected to make landfall either in the province of Isabela or Aurora tonight or early Thursday. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered preemptive evacuation of areas in Northern Luzon in the path of the storm, which could still intensify to a more damaging typhoon.