The fifth major storm in three weeks is approaching the Philippines, prompting more largescale evacuations and a United Nations request for emergency funds to help the government ease the plight of hard-hit villagers.

The Philippines is bracing for its fifth powerful storm in three weeks, with Super Typhoon Usagi set to strike the country’s north on Thursday afternoon before tracking toward Taiwan.

An unusually prolific spurt of typhoons in the western Pacific Ocean has swirled near the Philippines over recent weeks — and now two more storms could threaten the archipelago over coming days. Category 4 Typhoon Usagi and Tropical Storm Man-yi are next on the list of storms expected to strike the region,

The Philippines prepared Tuesday to evacuate potentially tens of thousands of people as the fifth major storm in three weeks bore down on the archipelago shortly after the onslaught of