GOVERMENT RAISES ALERT TO IMPENDING STORM

Super Typhoon Parma continued to strengthen on 1 October 2009, as it tracks west-northwest at 18 mph/16 kt. The storm, which is located approximately 600 mi/963 km east-southeast of Manila, Philippines, is expected to move through favorable conditions, leading to further strengthening over the next 24 hours. Currently, Parma's maximum sustained winds are 150 mph/130 kt with gusts of up to 184 mph/160 kt. In response to the impending storm, the Philippine government has raised the alert level and placed military and civilian emergency teams on standby only a week after Typhoon Ketsana rolled through the country, killing 277 people near Metro Manila. Parma is expected to make landfall near northeastern Quirino and Isabela provinces on 3 October. Officials have ordered an evacuation of coastal and low-lying areas, especially those prone to landslides in the northern Philippines.