A powerful typhoon gained strength Sunday as it zeroed in on the northeastern tip of the Philippines, where some 1,400 people were moved to safety from coastal areas exposed to floods and storm surges.
Typhoon Noul is packing winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 220 kph (136 mph).
It is forecast to clip the northern Cagayan province of the Philippines, making landfall in Santa Ana township on Sunday afternoon or evening then veering north into the open sea toward southern Japan.
Some 1,400 people have moved to evacuation centers in neighboring Isabela province, where earlier forecasts had said the typhoon would first hit, said Norma Talosig, the civil defense regional director.
She said that officials in coastal Santa Ana town also prepared to move people to safer grounds and had enough supplies in stock.