Philippines president Benigno Aquino previously warned that Koppu could be uniquely destructive because it would bring intense rain over a long period of time.
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Disaster relief personnel and equipment have been readied as the typhoon was packing winds of 130kph with gusts up to 160kph, weather forecasters said Friday.
“It may be semi-stationary once it hits”, Ms Cayanan told reporters.
By 6pm on Saturday, the typhoon was about 200km east of Aurora province, where Koppu is predicted to make landfall.
According to the weather bureau waves may reach up to 14 meters (46 feet) in open sea and heavy rains and flooding should be expected.
He also urged the public to cancel any travel plans over the weekend. Officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties.
“Starting tonight (last night), we are closing traffic on all major highways like the Halsema Highway, Kennon Road, Marcos Highway as well as Dalton Pass to preclude any possible road mishaps during the storm”, Pama said.
“The best historical analogue for the rains expected from Koppu may be an extreme monsoon rainfall event on August 18 – 21, 2013, which was enhanced by moisture from Tropical Storm Trami (Maring)”.
Radio stations said trees were down and power was cut in the area. PSWS 2 and 1 are in effect for other areas of Luzon.
Locally higher amounts are expected, particularly in parts of northwestern Luzon where westerly winds point directly into the north-south mountain ranges paralleling the coast. Up to 600 millimeters (23.5 inches) of rain fell during one 24-hour stretch, and about 60% of metro Manila was under water at one point. Both would be at risk due to Koppu if in place at this time and would provide disaster risk financing to assist with reconstruction after events of this magnitude.
Nueva Ecija officials also ordered villagers in low-lying communities to preemptively evacuate.
Pama said the council has a standing order to all disaster responders to enforce forced evacuation on residents living in disaster-prone areas.
The centre of the storm was moving slowly west, she said. “But I must emphasise [that] each local government unit, community, and Filipino that will be affected has the duty to cooperate…to overcome the challenges ahead”. Residents in low lying and mountainous areas of the provinces with PSWS are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides.
The move aims to prevent congestion of traffic among commuters going in and outside the province which serves as the gateway to Cagayan Valley region.
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Bednarczyk noted, “Due to the slow movement of Typhoon Koppu, its impacts on the Philippines will occur over a number of days”.
