A tropical storm that made landfall in the northern Philippines early Sunday has intensified into a typhoon, according to the weather bureau, bringing moderate to heavy rains that have submerged villages and farmlands.

According to the disaster monitoring agency, nearly a thousand people were evacuated to safer ground ahead of time.

A video shared by a resident of Claveria town in Cagayan province, about 600 km (380 miles) north of the capital Manila, showed widespread flooding and a partially submerged home, with trees blown by strong winds.

Nesat, packing winds of 120 km (75 miles) per hour, may further intensify while moving towards the South China Sea, the weather bureau said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Twitter government assistance was on the way to the affected communities.