Evacuations step up in Philippines ahead of Typhoon Hagupit

More people fled their homes in the Philippines Saturday as the strongest typhoon to hit the country since last year slowed down, officials said.
Typhoon Hagupit was packing maximum winds of 195 kilometers per hour (kph) and gusts of 230 kph, dpa quoted the weather bureau as saying.
It was expected to hit the eastern Philippines early Sunday morning after its advance slowed to 10 kph, which would bring more rains over the affected areas, it added.
More than 616,000 people have moved to evacuation centers in more than 20 provinces, the national disaster risk management council said.
Hagupit, a Filipino word for lash or whip, was threatening areas devastated by the 2013 super typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.
Forecasters warned that Hagupit, which could cause storm surges as high as 5 meters, would also bring heavy rains over Manila.