A red alert has been issued as Typhoon Noul tracks northwest toward the Philippines. Direct Relief emergency response staff are in contact with partners on the ground and will be monitoring the situation as it develops in the next 72 hours.

The typhoon is predicted to intensify before it makes landfall in northern Philippines on Saturday, in the vicinity of Cagayan province. Preparation activities are already underway in the Philippines as residents in the storm’s path brace for the impact.

The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System predicts that up to 2.8 million people may be affected by the storm.

Mashable reports, “Typhoon Noul is projected to peak as a Category 4 storm, and make landfall during the weekend with winds closer to 125 miles per hour, although tropical cyclone-intensity forecasts made more than several hours in advance have considerable uncertainty.”

View live tracking of the storm in relation to Direct Relief’s health care partners in the area on this map.