The Philippines has begun evacuating thousands of people and deploying emergency response teams ahead of the expected landfall of typhoon Mangkhut on Saturday, Nikkei Asian Review reports. The typhoon, which packed the wind power of a Category 5 hurricane, appeared likely to strike an area considered the breadbasket of the Philippines, raising fears of significant damage to the agricultural sector, according to The New York Times. The typhoon is also expected to affect areas in Taiwan, Hong Kong and other parts of mainland China. Governments are taking no chances after super typhoon Jebi that struck Japan earlier this month killed 11 and injured 600.