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MANILA, Philippines (AP) - One of the strongest typhoons to hit the storm-prone Philippines in years battered the mountainous north late Sunday as the country braced for a possible disaster. "Let us all pray," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in a message on nationwide radio as she ordered schools and government offices shut in the affected area and temporarily banned bus trips there to prevent casualties.
Two major dams were to release water to prevent them from overflowing, officials said.
Typhoon Cimaron made landfall around 9 p.m. local time, lashing Isabela province with sustained winds of 121 miles per hour and gusts of up to 143 mph, the Philippine weather bureau said. Hours earlier, the region was placed under the highest of a four-step warning system to advise residents to abandon vulnerable coasts and mountains.
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