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.
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.
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.
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.
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