A powerful typhoon is lashing northern Philippine islands

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon was lashing the northernmost islands of the Philippines Monday, prompting officials to evacuate villagers, shut down schools and inter-island ferries and warn of “potentially very destructive” damage to coastal villages.

Typhoon Krathon was last tracked over the coastal waters of Balintang island off the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes with sustained winds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) and gusts of up to 215 kph (133 mph), according to government forecasters.

The slow-moving Krathon was blowing westward and could strengthen into a super typhoon when it veers northeastward Tuesday toward Taiwan, they said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage

Guilmar Cabejo, a police officer on the island of Sabtang in typhoon-prone Batanes, said the streets were deserted in the town of more than 1,800 people as the ferocious wind rattled roofs, walls and trees.

“There’s nobody outside, zero, because the wind is so strong,” Cabejo told The Associated Press by cellphone. “Nobody could stand normally outside in this wind, it will force anybody down to the ground."

Residents, locally renowned for their resilience against seasonal storms, strengthened their roofs with ropes, covered windows with wooden boards and secured their fishing boats away from the sea two days before the typhoon hit, he said.

The weather agency warned of “moderate to high risk of life-threatening storm surge” in the next 48 hours in the coastal villages of Batanes, the nearby Babuyan islands and Cagayan province and said fierce winds could rip off roofs, topple trees, damage farmlands and whip up high waves.

"The situation is potentially very destructive to the community,” it said.

Hundreds of villagers were evacuated away from the coast and flood-prone communities in Cagayan province, where power outages were reported. Classes in all levels were suspended Monday in several northern provinces as a precaution, officials said.

Sea voyages were also halted in northern towns and provinces being battered or threatened by the typhoon, locally called Julian, officials said.

About 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year. The archipelago also lies in the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a region along most of the Pacific Ocean rim where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, making the Southeast Asian nation one of the world’s most disaster-prone.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones in the world, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines.

Boats are seen tightened with ropes before Typhoon Krathon arrives, at a harbor in Keelung, Taiwan, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

Workers tighten boats with ropes before Typhoon Krathon arrives, at a harbor in Keelung, Taiwan, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

Workers tighten boats with ropes before Typhoon Krathon arrives, at a harbor in Keelung, Taiwan, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

Workers tighten boats with ropes before Typhoon Krathon arrives, at a harbor in Keelung, Taiwan, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

Residents negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather specialist Veronica Torres points at an electronic board to show the strength of powerful Typhoon Krathon on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Quezon city, Philippines as it is projected to go towards Taiwan the next day after hitting northern Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Rescuers help residents evacuate to higher grounds as they negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

Residents negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

Rescuers help residents as they negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather specialist Veronica Torres points at the path of powerful Typhoon Krathon on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Quezon city, Philippines as it is projected to go towards Taiwan the next day after hitting northern Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Residents negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

A truck negotiates flood waters caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

Rescuers help residents as they negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called "Typhoon Julian" at Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernie Dela Cruz)

In the past week, many Americans remained focused on the economy, inflation and how those forces could impact their lives. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and that is impacting the decisions of both households and businesses.

Here’s a snapshot of prominent economic data and news that occurred over the past week and what it potentially means for you.

America’s employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war.

Hiring was better than the 65,000 forecasters had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Healthcare added 37,000 jobs last month and retailers 22,000. However, manufacturers cut 2,000 jobs in April and have shed 66,000 jobs over the past year despite President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies aimed at creating factory jobs.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose again this week, reflecting ongoing bond market volatility as surging oil prices due to the war with Iran heighten inflation worries.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.37% from 6.3% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from one year ago, when the rate averaged 6.76%.

This is the second straight weekly increase, bringing the average rate back to where it was four weeks ago.

Weekly U.S. jobless claim applications rose last week but remain at historically low levels despite elevated inflation and other economic headwinds.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the week ending May 2 rose by 10,000 to 200,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 205,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

The previous week’s new claims figure, which was the fewest since 1969, was revised up by 1,000 to 190,000.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

U.S. job openings were essentially unchanged in March but hiring improved before the full impact of the Iran war hit the economy.

Employers posted 6.87 million jobs in March, compared to 6.92 million in February, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

The job market has been up and down so far this year after a dismal 2025. And the Iran war, which began Feb. 28, has clouded the outlook for the economy and hiring.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that layoffs rose in March. But hiring improved: Employers added 5.55 million gross jobs, the most since February 2024. More Americans also quit their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects.

U.S. stocks rose toward new highs to end the week on promising news in the labor market and also more strong earnings for major U.S. corporations.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% toward an all-time high after a report said U.S. employers added 115,000 more jobs than they cut last month, even though the war with Iran is raising fuel costs and uncertainty for everyone.

While hiring slowed from March’s level, it was nevertheless nearly double what economists expected. And it kept the S&P 500 on track for a sixth straight winning week, which would be its longest such streak since 2024. The U.S. stock market has blasted higher since late March, in part on hopes that the war will not mean a worst-case scenario for the global economy and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to allow oil tankers to deliver crude from the Persian Gulf again.

Trader Edward McCarthy, left, and Michael Milano work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

FILE - The per-gallon price is displayed elecronically over the grades of gasoline available at a Buc-ee's convenience stop Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Johnstown, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

FILE - Hiring sign for sales professionals is displayed at a store, in Vernon Hills, Ill., Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)