President Marcos instructed the government to prepare for a ‘worst case scenario’ where millions of people would be at risk from storm surges.

The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and canceled dozens of flights as a “potentially catastrophic” typhoon – the sixth storm of the month – approaches the archipelago.

Due to winds of 240 km (149 miles) per hour, Man-yi was upgraded to a super typhoon by state weather agency PAGASA.

“Pepito is approaching the peak of its intensity,” the agency said, using the local name for the storm that is expected to land near Catanduanes province Saturday night or early Sunday.

It warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” for the central region of Bicol, where about 180,000 people were evacuated.

Man-yi’s advance towards the eastern part of the main island of Luzon caused PAGASA to raise the highest alert to Category 5 for Catanduanes and Category 4 for the northern part of Camarines Sur province.

Both states are still recovering from the impact of deadly Tropical Storm Trami, which hit the country in late October.

The mayor of Naga city in Camarines Sur declared a curfew starting at noon on Saturday in a bid to force residents to stay indoors.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed all government agencies to “prepare for the worst-case scenario” in areas expected to be hit by Man-yi, civil defense director Ariel Nepomuceno said.

More than 400 people were crammed into the provincial government building in the capital Virac at an evacuation center in Catanduanes, and the new arrivals were sent to a gym, state disaster officer Roberto Monterola told the AFP news agency.

Man-yi forced the cancellation of dozens of flights in the eastern Visayas region overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The weather agency warned of dangerous storm surges that could exceed 3 meters (10 feet) in coastal areas of Luzon.

Heavy rain is expected in some provinces, especially in the central parts of the Philippines.

Approximately 20 tropical storms hit the Philippines every year, causing heavy rain, strong winds and deadly landslides.

Government figures say 162 people died and 22 were missing in floods and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey in October.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, four storms, including Typhoon Usagi, occurred simultaneously in the western Pacific Ocean in November for the first time since records began in 1951.