MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of residents were evacuated as Typhoon Melor slammed into the eastern Philippines, where flood- and landslide-prone communities are bracing for destructive winds, heavy rains and coastal floods of up to four meters (13 feet), officials said on Monday. Classes and flights have also been suspended.

750,000 evacuated as 'Nona' whips central PH: Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from the central ... — UskeusNews (@Uskeus) Dec 14 2015

The government's weather bureau said the typhoon, known as Nona locally, is packing winds of 150 kilometers (95 miles) per hour and gusts of 185 kph (115 mph), and carrying heavy to intense rains within its 300-kilometer (185-mile) diameter. It made landfall Monday morning in tiny Batag Island in the eastern Philippines, and a second landfall is expected in Sorsogon province.

Typhoon #Melor has rapidly intensified into a Cat. 4 as it bears down on the Philippines: https://t.co/eFfH9Ab5Jr pic.twitter.com/Fj2ZqttHar — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) December 13, 2015

Bernardo Alejandro, a regional civil defense official, said thousands of residents were evacuated in the six provinces comprising the Bicol region, and that relief goods had been put in place.

In Sorsogon, he said, more than 700 people voluntarily went to shelters Sunday night, but the provincial governor then ordered evacuations Monday for residents who had refused to leave their homes despite the risks of floods and landslides.

About 120,000 Sorsogon residents live in the typhoon-affected area, and many are expected to move in with neighbors or relatives with homes on higher ground during the flooding.

About 20 storms and typhoons hit the Philippines each year. In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest typhoon on record to make landfall, left more than 7,300 people dead and missing as it leveled entire villages and swept walls of seawater into parts of the central Philippines.