The Philippines breathed a sigh of relief today as typhoon Lupit, now downgraded into a tropical storm, veered away from the country. The government weather station said Lupit made a sharp turn northwards, away from the main Philippine island of Luzon and was forecast to continue moving northwards.<br/><br/>This morning Lupit was charted 240 kilometres northeast of the northern town of Aparri. However, the weather station warned residents in the north to remain on alert for flashfloods and landslides caused by continued rains in an area.<br/><br/>The government had already prepared relief goods and rescue equipment, and pre-emptively evacuated more than 2,500 people from vulnerable areas during Lupit's approach.