Thousands flee as typhoon threatens northern Philippines, Taiwan

More than 2,000 people were fleeing their homes as Typhoon Noul approached the northern Philippines on Sunday, triggering warnings of possible flash floods, landslides and tsunami-like storm surges.

The storm's movement has slowed slightly but it has also strengthened to pack gusts of 220 kilometres (137 miles) per hour, said Esperanza Cayanan, chief of the government's weather monitoring division.

It was expected to hit the northern edge of the country's main island of Luzon by late Sunday afternoon or evening.

In Taiwan, which is also in the storm's predicted path, authorities warned sailors of strong winds and high waves and evacuated almost 1,000 tourists from an island off the southeast coast.  

Cayanan said the northern Philippine province of Cagayan was expected to feel the brunt of the typhoon later in the day when it made landfall there.

"This is a very dangerous storm. It is the strongest so far this year," said Rene Paciente, head of the marine weather division.

More than 2,000 people in Cagayan were being evacuated from  coastal villages, said Norma Talosig, regional civil defence chief.

"They have to evacuate to  higher ground, not in their village. They are being assisted by the local governments using buses and trucks, even ambulances," she told AFP.

The national civil defence chief, Alexander Pama, said that given the possibility of storm surges of up to two metres (6.5 feet), they were taking no chances.

"There is no exact science in this. So we will stay on the safe side" by ordering evacuations in vulnerable areas, he said.

"Even as we speak, our armed forces are already moving... to help in the evacuation. So too are our police forces who are conducting evacuations in their municipalities," he told reporters.

Storm surges -- tsunami-like waves generated by powerful typhoons -- have become a major concern during storms.

In November 2013 storm surges were the main killers as Super Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing.

Several hundred people living in a farming hamlet below the restive Bulusan volcano on Luzon have also been evacuated due to the potential for rain to mix with volcanic ash accumulated on its slopes and form deadly, fast-moving mudflows.

The civil defence office also cited numerous areas that could be hit by landslides or flash floods due to the "heavy to intense rainfall" that the typhoon was expected to bring.

The government has suspended ferry services in affected areas and some domestic flights have also been cancelled.

About 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, many of them deadly.

In Taiwan nearly 1,000 tourists had been evacuated from scenic Green Island by noon, an official from the county government said.

"Tourists would otherwise be stranded there for at least two days," he said.

All ferries and flights to Green Island and another tourist attraction, Orchid Island, were suspended and people were urged to stay away from coastal areas.