Typhoon Gaemi forces Philippines to halt work, market trading

MANILA – Typhoon Gaemi and a southwest monsoon brought heavy rain on Wednesday to the Philippine capital region and northern provinces, prompting authorities to halt work and classes, while stock and foreign exchange trading were suspended.

The presidential office suspended classes at all academic levels and work in most government offices in the capital region, which is composed of 16 cities and home to at least 13 million people, because of the tropical storm.

Gaemi, with maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour (96.3 mph) and gustiness of up to 190 kph, was heading towards Taiwan, the Philippines’ state weather agency said in a 5 a.m. bulletin.

It did not make landfall but it is enhancing a southwest monsoon, resulting in heavy to intense rain in northern Philippines, the agency said. “Flooding and rain-induced landslides are likely.”

Gaemi and another tropical storm, Prapiroon, hit the southern Philippines and caused floods last week, resulting in seven deaths.

The Philippine coastguard said 354 passengers and 31 vessels were stranded in ports while airlines canceled 13 flights on Wednesday, Manila’s airport authority said.

The Philippines sees an average of 20 tropical storms annually, causing floods and deadly landslides.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Christopher Cushing)