(Bloomberg) — The Philippines evacuated thousands of people tosafer ground and stockpiled food, with flights canceled as thecountry prepares for Super Typhoon Hagupit, a category-5 stormexpected to make landfall tomorrow.

Hagupit, which means “whip” in Filipino, was 435 kilometers (270miles) east of Eastern Samar province in central Philippines,maintaining strength as it moves toward land, with maximum winds of215 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 250 kilometers per hour,the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical ServicesAdministration, or Pagasa, said in an 11 a.m. report. It may maypass through Metro Manila on Dec. 9, based on a forecast by theU.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The storm is expected to bring rain of as much as 20 millimeters(0.8 inches) per hour within its 700-kilometer diameter, theweather bureau said. It will probably make landfall over the Samararea tomorrow evening and will bring strong winds, storm surges of4 to 5 meters and intense rain, it said. Fishermen must not ventureout over the coastlines of the main islands of Luzon, Visayas andMindanao where sea conditions will be rough, Pagasa said.

About 10,000 people have been evacuated in Dinagat Islands andLeyte provinces, according to officials. Cebu Air Inc. andaffiliate Tigerair Philippines canceled several flights to theislands of Visayas and Mindanao, Cebu Air said in an advisory onits website. Rubber boats, power generators and chainsaws have beenstockpiled in Visayas, according to the Office of CivilDefense.

Right: Hundreds ofresidents take shelter inside the provincial capitol of Surigaocity close to central Philippines on Dec. 5 in anticipation oftyphoon Hagupit. (AP Photo/Erwin Mascarinas)

The Philippines, battered by cyclones that form over the PacificOcean, is the second most-at-risk nation globally from tropicalstorms after Japan, according to Maplecroft, a research companybased in Bath in the U.K. Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest stormin the world to hit land, killed more than 6,200 people in Novemberof last year and left more than a thousand missing.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 1.3% at thenoon break in Manila, poised for the biggest drop since Oct.13.

“It's now more certain that the we are on the typhoon's path,”said Allan Yu, who helps manage $7.3 billion as first vicepresident at Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. “Many investors aretaking profit, worried by the damage this will cause oninfrastructure and the impact it will have on growth.”

Super Typhoon

Hagupit is tracking a path similar to Haiyan, which devastatedthe central Philippines, the weather bureau said. People in thecapital must also prepare for the storm, Interior Secretary MarRoxas said at a briefing today. Hagupit, which according to theJoint Typhoon Warning Center is a super typhoon, will probablyaffect about two thirds of the nation's provinces, he saidyesterday.

As many as 12.9 million people may be affected, the UnitedNations' Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System said on itswebsite. Hagupit “can have a high humanitarian impact.”

President Benigno Aquino, during a televised meeting at thedisaster-risk agency in Manila yesterday, ordered governmentagencies to secure rice warehouses, power and telecommunicationsresources for critical operations. Nineteen provinces within thefirst 100-kilometer radius of the storm's central track areconsidered highly critical areas, where damage to agriculture isexpected to be heavy, travel dangerous and moderate to heavydisruption of electricity likely, state meteorologists said.

At least 8,000 people are staying at 21 evacuation centers inDinagat, provincial public information officer Jane Mayola said.About 1,500 people have left their homes near the shore in TaclobanCity in Leyte province, where thousands were killed when Haiyantriggered storm surges, Superintendent Carlos Centinaje, policecommunity relations officer in Eastern Visayas, said by phone.

The government is studying declaring a state of nationalemergency before the typhoon hits so prices of basic commoditiescan be frozen amid reports of hoarding in some areas, Aquino saidyesterday. “We want to bring in more supplies to stop panicbuying,” he said.

–With assistance from Ian Sayson in Manila.

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