BBC - Philippines braces for new storm

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The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of thousands of people from areas in the path of a second powerful typhoon to hit the country in a week.

Typhoon Parma is expected to hit the main island of Luzon north of the capital Manila early on Saturday.

Officials fear a second disaster after Typhoon Ketsana caused the worst floods in the Philippines in decades.

Ketsana caused nearly 300 deaths in the Philippines, as well as more than 100 in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Parts of the Philippines near Manila remain flooded after Ketsana dropped a month's worth of rain in 12 hours last Saturday.

'Strongest typhoon'

President Gloria Arroyo appeared on national television to order the evacuation of low-lying coastal areas threatened by the new typhoon.

"We need that preventative evacuation," she said.

The military and police have been put on alert and civilian agencies have been ordered to stockpile food, water and medicine.

The Philippine weather bureau said Parma, with winds of up to 230km/h (140mph), would be the strongest typhoon to hit the country since 2006.

Nathaniel Cruz, the head weather forecaster in the Philippines, said Parma could yet change direction and miss the country, adding that it was carrying less rain than Ketsana.

But he said its strong winds could be highly destructive.

"We are dealing with a very strong typhoon [and] there is a big possibility that this typhoon will gather more strength," Mr Cruz said.

There are also fears that more heavy rain could worsen flooding left from the earlier typhoon.

"We're concerned about the effects of more rain on the relief work in flooded areas because the water level could rise again," said Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

Thousands homeless

Ketsana, with winds of up to 100km/h (60mph), hit the Philippines early last Saturday, crossing the main northern island of Luzon before heading out toward the South China Sea.

Almost two million people were affected by the flooding in Manila, the worst to hit the city in 40 years. At one point, 80% of the city was submerged.

Tens of thousands of people were left homeless.

Ketsana went on to hit the mainland of South-East Asia where it is now confirmed to have killed 99 people in Vietnam, 16 in Laos and 14 in Cambodia.

Most of the people have died in flooding or landslides caused by the sudden, heavy rain.

Authorities in Vietnam have been delivering food and water by speed boat and helicopter to isolated communities affected by Ketsana.

Some villages in Vietnam and Cambodia remained cut off by mudslides and flooding.