MANILA, Philippines — The fifth major storm in three weeks approached the Philippines on Thursday, prompting larger evacuations and prompting requests from the United Nations for emergency funds to help the government alleviate the situation of hard-hit villagers.

Typhoon Usagi had winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles) and gusts of up to 230 km/h (143 mph) and was forecast to grow stronger before hitting the coast of Cagayan province, at the northern tip of Luzon, on Thursday afternoon. The most populous agricultural region of the country.

Another storm was brewing in the Pacific and could hit the northern Philippines this weekend, forecasters said.

The country’s weather agency warned of life-threatening tidal waves of up to three meters (about 10 feet) in coastal areas of Cagayan and seven other nearby provinces and island clusters, and called on all ships to remain in port or take shelter immediately.

Typhoon Toraji It flew away from the northern Philippines just two days ago after causing floods, knocking out power lines and forcing more than 42,000 people to evacuate their homes.

The government had a hard time dealing with this problem effect The last four major storms, which killed at least 160 people, displaced millions of people and devastated farmland and infrastructure, mostly in the northern Luzon region.

Deputy Welfare Secretary Irene Dumlao, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He said his administration had spent more than 1 billion pesos ($17 million) on food and other aid for hundreds of thousands of storm victims.

Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro, who is overseeing disaster response efforts, has asked for help from neighboring countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, in providing additional aircraft to deliver food, water and other aid to villages isolated by the storms. The United States, Manila’s long-time treaty ally, has deployed cargo planes with food and other aid.

The UN Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines said it has raised $32.9 million to help the government provide assistance over the next three months to nearly 210,000 people in critical need of assistance and protection, especially women, children and people with disabilities.

“The Philippines faces an extraordinarily challenging tropical cyclone season, with back-to-back hurricanes reaching unprecedented locations and scales,” the UN team said in its contingency plan. “Local authorities, who are often themselves affected, are overwhelmed both responding to the crisis and coordinating recovery efforts for affected families.”

The Philippines is hit by approximately 20 typhoons and tropical storms every year. It is subject to frequent earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.

in 2013 Typhoon HaiyanThe hurricane, one of the strongest tropical cyclones on record, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, destroyed entire villages, and caused ships to run aground and homes to crash in the central Philippines.