At least 10 people have been reported
dead in the Philippines after Typhoon Phanfone hit the center of the country,
leaving a trail of devastation through.
The storm, also known as Ursula, carried
gusts of close to 118 mph and made landfall several times across various
islands, officials say.
Tens of thousands of people were
left stranded in ports as they tried to make their way home for Christmas.
Phanfone struck close to regions devastated
by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
More than 6,000 people were killed
in November 2013, making it the Philippines’ deadliest storm. With winds of
more than 193mph, it was the most powerful storm to ever make landfall.
Phanfone first made landfall on
Christmas Eve, but continued to pass over the many islands of the central
Philippines throughout Christmas Day. However, the extent of the damage began
to emerge only on December 26.
Local media say at least 10 people
have died – including a three-year-old boy – with most deaths occurring in
Iloilo and Capiz provinces.
AFP quotes officials as saying that
at least 16 people died.
One family was killed when they were swept away by a flash flood as they
attempted to get to higher ground, the Philippine ABS-CBN network reported. It
added that at least 12 people were missing in Iloilo province alone.
The popular tourist island of Boracay appears to have suffered damage,
although the extent is unclear.
In the city of Tacloban, a large fire broke out as the winds rose, but the
city escaped the worst of the damage.
Tacloban suffered enormous damage during Typhoon Haiyan when a storm surge
pushed water into the low-lying city of more than 220,000 people.
On December 26, typhoon Phanfone headed out towards the South China Sea.
Typhoon Mangkhut hit the Philippines’ main island on September 15 killing at least 25 people.
Extensive crop damage is feared in the agricultural province of Cagayan.
Mangkhut, which packs a 550 mile rain band and strong winds, is heading towards southern China.
The storm poses a “severe threat” to Hong Kong, the territory’s observatory said, urging residents to stay on high alert.
In the Philippines, Mangkhut made landfall at Baggao, in the north-east of the main island of Luzon, at about 01:40 local time on September 15 and left some 20 hours later.
Originally a super typhoon billed as the strongest storm of 2018, Mangkhut lost some of its strength on landfall.
Five million people were in its path and more than 100,000 sheltered in temporary centers.
A presidential spokesman and disaster response coordinator said almost all the deaths had been caused by landslides in the Cordillera and Nueva Vizcaya regions, adding that reports from other areas were still coming in.
One person was killed by a falling tree in the province of Ilocos Sur, he said.
Almost all buildings in the city of Tuguegarao, Cagayan’s provincial capital, sustained damage, a government official said.
The Philippines is routinely hit during the typhoon season but the strength of Manghukt evoked memories of the deadliest storm on national record – Super Typhoon Haiyan – which killed more than 7,000 five years ago.
However, preparation and evacuation procedures have been improved since then – warnings were issued, travel was restricted, schools shut and the army was put on standby in advance.
Mangkhut is still strong as it heads west toward southern China with current sustained wind speeds of 90mph but fears it will re-strengthen into a super typhoon have receded.
Super Typhoon Haima hit the Philippines killing at least four people in the north of the country.
Haima, which brought sustained winds of up to 140mph, made landfall over the northern province of Cagayan on October 19.
Nearly 100,000 people were evacuated from threatened areas as Typhoon Haima approached.
Image source University of Colorado
There was widespread damage overnight, with homes destroyed and power lines brought down.
According to Filipino authorities, two of those killed were buried in a landslide, and two others buried in a shanty town in a mountainous region.
Experts had feared the storm could prove as destructive as the catastrophic super typhoon Haiyan, which claimed more than 7,350 lives in 2013.
The Philippines endures around 20 major storms every year, many of them deadly.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who was in Beijing on a state visit, had said he prayed the Philippines would be spared but that they were “ready”.
“We only pray we be spared the destruction such as previous times. Everything has been deployed.”
Haima was upgraded to a super typhoon just before it hit in Penablanca, a town in Cagayan province, around 23:00 local time on October 19.
On October 20, there were reports of damage across a wide area.
Haima, known as Lawin locally, had a weather band 500 miles wide, and authorities had warned the public to expect fierce winds and storm surges up to 16 feet or higher.
It is the second typhoon to hit the Philippines in a week, after Sarika struck on October 16. At least one person was killed in that storm, and three people are still missing.
Typhoon Haima is now moving out across the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China.
Pope Francis has arrived in typhoon-hit city of Tacloban in the Philippines to hold an open-air Mass.
Tacloban was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan just over a year ago.
Tens of thousands braved pouring rain and strong winds brought by Tropical Storm Mekkhala to attend the Mass.
Pope Francis was due to meet survivors of the typhoon after the mass but the storm forced the pontiff to cut short his visit.
The Pope said as soon as he saw the catastrophe caused by the typhoon, he had decided to go to the Philippines.
Pope Francis is visiting the Philippines, where there are 80 million Catholics, as part of a six-day tour of Asia.
Typhoon Haiyan, which remains the strongest storm ever recorded on land, created a 23ft high storm surge, destroying practically everything in its path when it swept ashore on November 8, 2013.
Around 90% of the city of Tacloban in Leyte province was destroyed and more than 14.5 million people were affected in six regions and 44 provinces. About one million people remain homeless.
Pope Francis was due to have lunch with survivors of Typhoon Haiyan later on Saturday but he left Tacloban four hours early because of the approaching storm and returned to Manila.
Earlier, he apologized to the crowds gathered at the main cathedral in Leyte province and said: “I am sad about this, truly saddened, because I had something prepared especially for you.”
The Pope said his pilots had told him that the weather was going to get worse.
“We barely have time to get to the aeroplane,” he said.
Tropical Storm Mekkhala, with winds of up to 80 mph, forced the suspension of ferry services to Leyte and stranded thousands of travelers, according to the Associated Press news agency.
One woman was killed after the mass, when scaffolding near the stage collapsed, local media report.
The storm is forecast to hit the shore of nearby Samar Island later on Saturday.
During the Mass in Spanish, with a translation into English, Pope Francis spoke of the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan on people in Tacloban.
He told the faithful that “so many of you in Tacloban have lost everything. I don’t know what to say – but the Lord does… He underwent so many of the trials that you do”.
A national holiday has been declared in Manila for the duration of Pope Francis’ visit.
Security is very tight, with tens of thousands of soldiers and police deployed, after failed attempts to kill two previous popes in the Philippines.
The centerpiece of Pope Francis’ visit will be an open-air Mass in Manila on January 18, which is expected to attract millions.
Typhoon Haiyan death toll has risen above 5,000, officials in the Philippines say, two weeks after the devastating storm hit the country.
Philippines’ National Disaster Agency says that 5,209 people are now known to have lost their lives, with many more still missing.
That makes Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, the deadliest natural disaster in the country’s history.
Floods in the Ormoc region in 1991 killed 5,101 people.
Haiyan was one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded.
Winds of up to 270km/h hit the central Philippines when it made landfall on November 8.
Parts of low-lying islands were completely flattened.
Eduardo del Rosario, executive director of the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said that more than four million people were displaced by the storm.
Over a million houses were damaged.
Typhoon Haiyan death toll has risen above 5,000, two weeks after the devastating storm hit Philippines
Many residents in the worst hit areas are still without proper shelter as they try to rebuild their homes.
Many residents in the worst hit areas are still without proper shelter as they try to rebuild their homes.
Eduardo del Rosario told the Associated Press news agency he believed the worst was over.
“In the first week we can say we were in the emergency room,” he told the agency.
“This second week we are now in the ICU [intensive care unit], still critical but stabilized.”
He said he believed that the number of dead reported in the city of Tacloban was likely to go up.
The capital of Leyte province has reported 1,725 deaths.
More than 1,600 people are missing across the affected region.
Most of the dead had been buried in mass graves, and many bodies were unidentified, Eduardo del Rosario said.
Victoria Beckham is giving fans the opportunity to walk in her shoes in exchange for major charity donations to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines on November 8.
Typhoon Haiyan was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded and left a path of destruction across the island country.
Now Victoria and her husband David Beckham are using their celebrity status and her fashion connections to help raise money. On the British Red Cross’s website, there’s a special section for the Beckhams’ donations.
Victoria Beckham is giving fans the opportunity to walk in her shoes in exchange for major charity donations to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan
“Dozens of pieces from the couple’s wardrobe will go on sale this Friday (November 22) at the British Red Cross shop in Kensington & Chelsea, which specializes in designer clothing. All the money raised will help those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines.”
The Beckhams’ donations include pieces from Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, and Roberto Cavalli.
Victoria Beckham posted several photos on Twitter of her donations. In one picture she is sitting inside a donation box with the caption: “Proud to support @BritishRedCross #ShopDrop Donating clothes for #Haiyan survivors. x vb.”
Another image shows a mountain of designer heels and a Manolo Blahnik box with the caption: “Big clear out of my shoes, on sale tomorrow in aid of @BritishRedCross #ShopDrop x vb.”
According to Philippine officials, the number of people confirmed dead from Typhoon Haiyan now stands at 3,621.
UN and local agencies have issued conflicting tolls, and the final figure is likely to rise still higher.
One week after the storm, food and supplies are now beginning to reach survivors, but aid agencies say the logistics of distribution are enormous.
The Philippine government has defended its response to the disaster, one of the strongest storms ever on land.
The number of people confirmed dead from Typhoon Haiyan now stands at 3,621
The latest death toll of 3,621 issued by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council was up from the figure of 3,422 the interior secretary had given a few hours before.
The UN put the number of dead at 4,460. Officials said it was likely more bodies would be found as aid teams reached outlying areas.
Helicopters from a US aircraft carrier have been transporting supplies to the devastated town of Guiuan on the Pacific coast – the first to take the full force of the typhoon.
The carrier, USS George Washington, is expanding search-and-rescue operations and providing a platform for helicopters to move supplies.
Pallets loaded with food and water have been taken from the aircraft carrier to Tacloban, the capital of badly hit Leyte province, and Guiuan.
Philippines’ government says it is facing its biggest ever logistical challenge after Typhoon Haiyan, which affected as many as 11 million people.
Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras said the government had been overwhelmed by the impact of Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms on record.
The official death toll stands at more than 2,300, but local officials and aid workers say it could rise much higher.
Rene Almendras said the government had responded to the disaster “quite well”.
Aid is slowly beginning to arrive in the worst-affected regions.
US military planes have been arriving at Tacloban’s ruined airport on Wednesday, delivering World Food Programme supplies, which can be carried by helicopter to outlying regions, and a French-Belgian field hospital has been set up.
Typhoon Haiyan affected as many as 11 million people in Philippines
On Tuesday, eight people died when a wall collapsed as thousands of desperate survivors mobbed a food warehouse.
And on Wednesday there were reports of shots being fired in the street and of a teenaged boy being stabbed in the stomach.
With warehouses empty, the main concern for people still in Tacloban was food and water. Some survivors resorted to digging up water pipes for supplies.
On a visit to the city, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said aid was coming in but “the priority has got to be, let’s get the food in, let’s get the water in”.
Health officials warn the worst-affected areas are entering a peak danger period for the spread of infectious diseases.
Typhoon Haiyan – one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land – hit the coastal Philippine provinces of Leyte and Samar on Friday.
It swept through six central Philippine islands before going on to kill several people in Vietnam and southern China.
Disaster management officials in the Philippines have put the confirmed death toll there at 2,344, with another 3,804 injured as of 20:00 local time. They said 79 people were still missing.
The head of the Philippines Red Cross, Gwendolyn Pang, also said she expected the official death toll to rise.
UK and US ships were heading to the Philippines as the UN appealed for aid amid the large-scale devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan.
The US has deployed an aircraft carrier and navy ships to the Philippines, while the UK is sending a naval destroyer.
At least 10,000 people are feared to have been killed, and thousands of survivors desperately require aid.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity.
In a statement, Benigno Aquino said the two worst affected provinces, Leyte and Samar, had suffered massive destruction and loss of life.
A huge international relief effort is under way, but rescue workers have struggled to reach areas cut off since the storm.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described images of the impact of the storm as “heartbreaking”.
The UN would launch a large-scale humanitarian plan, and allocate $25 million “to fund critical relief efforts”, Ban Ki-moon said.
“Many thousands of people are reported to have died and almost 10 million people have been affected… Let us all show our solidarity with the people of the Philippines at this time of need,” he added.
One of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall, Typhoon Haiyan – named “Yolanda” by Philippine authorities – struck the coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar on Friday.
Typhoon Haiyan then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands.
Humanitarian aid needed at large scale after Typhoon Haiyan barreled through the Philippines over the weekend and killed an estimated 10,000 people
Air Force Capt Antonio Tamayo told AP news agency the scene in Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas, was “overwhelming”.
“We need more medicine. We cannot give anti-tetanus vaccine shots because we have none.”
Officials said looting was widespread and order was proving difficult to enforce. Correspondents say many ordinary people are simply scavenging for the food and water needed to survive.
The government says it has deployed armored vehicles to Tacloban to deter looters.
“We are circulating [the vehicles] in the city to show the people, especially those with bad intentions, that the authorities have returned,” Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told DZMM radio.
In a statement, the US said that aircraft carrier USS George Washington and other navy ships should arrive in the Philippines “within 48-72 hours”.
“As needed, these ships and aircraft will be able to provide humanitarian assistance, supplies, and medical care in support of the ongoing efforts led by the government and military of the Republic of the Philippines,” the statement said.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Darling would soon head to the disaster zone from Singapore.
It would take five days to arrive but once in the Philippines would bring engineering and first aid expertise, as well as the use of a Lynx helicopter.
Other countries have also pledged millions of dollars in assistance. Japan is providing $10 million and Australia $9 million in humanitarian aid, while New Zealand has pledged over $1.5 million.
Reports from Tacloban say soldiers have been distributing food and water to some residents and the US military has sent marines to the city.
A Philippine military spokesman was quoted as saying on Monday that 942 people had died in the typhoon’s aftermath, though it is clear the official death toll will rise significantly.
UN humanitarian official John Ging said: “Many places are strewn with dead bodies.”
“The first priority of response teams, once they were able to navigate their way into these areas, is to mobilize the burial of dead bodies because of the public health issues,” he said.
“As we get more and more access we find the tragedy of more and more people killed in this typhoon,” he added.
International aid:
Australia: Aus$10 million ($9.4 million), including medical personnel
China: $100,000
European Commission: 3 million euros ($4 million)
Indonesia: Aircraft, personnel, drinking water, food, generators, medicine
Japan: $10 million, 25 emergency medical personnel
New Zealand: NZ$2.15 million ($1.7 million)
Taiwan: $200,000
UK: £10 million ($15 million) non-food aid package
UN: central emergency relief fund: $25 million
US: At least 180 marines and sailors, transporter planes, emergency food, water, shelter and hygiene materials
President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity in Philippines in order to speed relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
In a statement, Benigno Aquino said the two worst affected provinces, Leyte and Samar, had suffered massive destruction and loss of life.
Thousands of survivors are still desperately waiting for the aid effort to reach them.
Up to 10,000 people are feared to have been killed.
Tacloban is one of the worst affected cities.
Hundreds of thousands more people have been displaced after the high winds and floodwaters destroyed their homes. Damage to roads and airports has delayed the delivery of aid.
One of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall, Typhoon Haiyan – named “Yolanda” by Filipino authorities – struck the coastal provinces of Leyte and Samar on Friday.
President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity in Philippines in order to speed relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan
It then headed west, sweeping through six central Philippine islands.
More than nine million people have been affected in the Philippines. Many are now struggling to survive without food, shelter or clean drinking water.
A huge international relief effort is under way, but rescue workers have struggled to reach some towns and villages cut off since the storm.
However, reports from Tacloban say that soldiers have been on the streets distributing food and water to some residents and the US military has sent marines to the city.
The head of the Philippine Red Cross, Richard Gordon, described the situation as “absolute bedlam”.
Jane Cocking, the humanitarian director for Oxfam, said her colleagues witnessed “complete devastation… entire parts of the coastline just disappeared”.
A Philippine military spokesman was quoted as saying on Monday that 942 people had died in the typhoon’s aftermath, though it is clear the official death toll will rise significantly.
Almost 630,000 people have been reported displaced.
Typhoon Haiyan’s aftermath in Philippines:
The exposed easterly town of Guiuan, Samar province – population 40,000 – is said to be largely destroyed
Tacloban, Leyte province, was largely flattened by a massive storm surge and scores of corpses are piled by the roadside, leaving a stench in the air as they rot, say correspondents. Hundreds of people have gathered at the airport desperate for food and water, others trying to get a flight out
In the far north of Cebu province had shown some towns had suffered “80-90% damage”
Baco, a city of 35,000 in Oriental Mindoro province, was 80% under water, the UN said.[youtube mAERAlp5bTk 650]
According to Philippine officials, around 10,000 people may have died in just one area hit by Typhoon Haiyan.
Typhoon Haiyan – one of the worst storms on record – destroyed homes, schools and an airport in the eastern city of Tacloban.
Neighboring Samar island was also badly affected, with reports of 300 people dead and 2,000 missing.
The Philippine government has so far only confirmed the deaths of 151 people throughout the country, but hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
Houses in Tacloban have been flattened by the massive storm surge that accompanied Typhoon Haiyan.
There’s no clean water, no electricity and very little food.
City officials said they were struggling to distribute aid and that looting was widespread.
The typhoon is now bearing down on Vietnam. More than 600,000 people have been evacuated in northern provinces.
At least four people were reported killed there, apparently while trying to escape the storm.
Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall south of Hanoi on Monday afternoon local time, although it will have decreased markedly in strength.
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst storms on record, destroyed homes, schools and an airport in the eastern city of Tacloban
Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas says the scale of the relief operation that is now required is overwhelming, with some places described as a wasteland of mud and debris.
“From a helicopter, you can see the extent of devastation. From the shore and moving a kilometre inland, there are no structures standing. It was like a tsunami,” he told Reuters news agency.
“I don’t know how to describe what I saw. It’s horrific.”
Tecson Lim, city administrator of Tacloban, told the Associated Press that the death toll in the city alone “could go up to 10,000”.
Police chief Elmer Soria said about 70% to 80% of the area in the path of the storm in Leyte province was destroyed.
He said most of the deaths were from drowning or collapsed buildings.
“Tacloban is totally destroyed. Some people are losing their minds from hunger or from losing their families,” high school teacher Andrew Pomeda told AFP news agency.
“People are becoming violent. They are looting business establishments, the malls, just to find food, rice and milk… I am afraid that in one week, people will be killing from hunger.”
Meanwhile Leo Dacaynos, an official in Eastern Samar province, told local radio 300 people had been found dead in a single town, Basey, with another 2,000 missing and many injured.
Communication is still limited in many areas.
The latest report from the Philippines’ Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed 151 deaths on Saturday. It said almost 480,000 people had been reported displaced.
Thousands of troops have been deployed to the disaster zones. However, rescuers are struggling to get to remote areas, hampered by debris and damaged roads.
Typhoon Haiyan – one of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall – swept through six central Philippine islands on Friday.
It brought sustained winds of 147mph, with gusts of 170 mph, with waves as high as 45ft, bringing up to 15.75 inches of rain in places.
The Pentagon has announced it is providing the Philippines with naval and aviation resources to help with humanitarian relief efforts.
In a statement, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the US was delivering helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and search and rescue equipment after a request from the Philippines government.
Red Cross officials estimate that at least 1,200 people were killed by Typhoon Haiyan, the largest storm ever to make landfall in Philippines.
Typhoon Haiyan struck Philippines early Friday and survivors of the storm described towering waves that swept away all but the hardiest shelters.
Survivors were described as being in desperate need of clean drinking water and food as officials continue to survey the damage.
Typhoon Haiyan packed sustained winds of 147 mph, with gusts up to 170 mph, and heavy rains when it made landfall early Friday. By those measurements, Haiyan would be comparable to a strong Category 4 hurricane in the US, and nearly in the top category, a 5.
Red Cross officials estimate that at least 1,200 people were killed by Typhoon Haiyan in Philippines
Authorities said it flattened hundreds of homes and triggered mudslides, flash flooding and a storm surge with waves of up to 30 feet. Authorities said almost 800,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters.
So far, government officials have confirmed just 138 deaths. At least 118 of those were on hardest-hit Leyte Island, where Tacloban is located, national disaster agency spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido told The Associated Press.
But Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, said preliminary counts from teams on the ground indicated that at least 1,200 people had perished – 1,000 people in Tacloban and at least 200 more in the Samar province.
Gwendolyn Pang said the numbers came from preliminary reports by Red Cross teams on the ground.
The weather system was downgraded overnight from a “super typhoon” to a typhoon, and was making its way toward Vietnam.
Typhoon Haiyan has killed more than 120 people in the Philippines, after it passed through the country on Friday.
Aviation officials said 100 bodies were lying in the streets of the city of Tacloban. Local journalists reported 20 bodies in a church in a nearby town.
The massive storm destroyed buildings and triggered landslides. The military has begun relief efforts.
Video from the city showed it engulfed by water when the typhoon struck.
It was one of the most powerful storms on record to make landfall.
Aid agencies are struggling to reach Tacloban, as its airport has been badly damaged but military flights are able to operate.
Communications to some of the worst-hit areas were cut off when the storm hit and it may be days before the final death toll is known.
So far, only four people have been confirmed dead and another four are missing.
“We have reports of collapsed buildings, houses flattened to the ground, storm surges and landslides,” Philippine Red Cross chief Gwendolyn Pang told AFP news agency.
Typhoon Haiyan has killed more than 120 people in the Philippines
“But we don’t know really, we can’t say how bad the damage is… hopefully today we can get a better picture as to the effects of the super typhoon.”
Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on the Philippines shortly before dawn on Friday, bringing gusts that reached 235 mph, with waves as high as 45ft, bringing up to 15.75 inches of rain in places.
Meteorologists had earlier warned that the storm could be as devastating as Typhoon Bopha in 2012, which ravaged parts of the southern Philippines and left at least 1,000 people dead.
Schools and offices were closed, while ferry services and local flights were suspended. Hospitals and soldiers were on stand-by for rescue and relief operations.
Power and communication lines were also cut to some areas.
Typhoon Haiyan raged across Leyte and Samar, turning roads into rivers, and battered Cebu city, the country’s second largest with a population of 2.5 million.
The eye of the storm – known locally as Yolanda – passed well to the south of the capital Manila, but the city still felt its force.
In the typhoon’s path were areas already struggling to recover from a deadly 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol where about 5,000 people are still living in tents.
The head of the EU’s delegation to the Philippines, Guy Ledoux, had earlier told local media that the EU was sending a humanitarian aid team.
Officials had said more than 12 million people were at risk.
Typhoon Haiyan is now heading for Vietnam, and is expected to make landfall on Sunday.
Vietnamese authorities have begun the mass evacuation of more than 100,000 people.
State media in Vietnam report that schools are being closed and people living in low lying coastal areas are being moved to temporary typhoon shelters on higher ground. Shipping has also been ordered back to port.
Typhoon Haiyan has hit the central Philippines with sustained winds of 146 mph.
Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall.
The storm has forced millions in vulnerable areas to seek shelter across 20 provinces, officials say.
The region was already struggling to recover from a powerful earthquake last month.
The authorities have warned that more than 12 million people are at risk from the category-five storm, including in Cebu, the country’s second largest city with a population of 2.5 million.
The storm – known locally as Yolanda – was not expected to directly hit the capital Manila, further north.
Schools and offices closed, while ferry services and local flights were suspended. Hospitals and soldiers are on stand-by for rescue and relief operations.
The extent of the damage remains unclear, with authorities saying phone-lines are down in many areas.
The governor of the Southern Leyte province, Roger Mercado, tweeted on Friday morning that fallen trees were blocking roads, hampering the emergency effort.
A spokesperson for the British Red Cross, Nichola Jones, who is in Tagbilaran in Bohol, says the typhoon passed by in the past hour.
Typhoon Haiyan has hit the central Philippines with sustained winds of 146 mph
“We’ve lost power and a few roof-tiles but it’s not too bad. But I think to the North – that’s the area that has borne the brunt. Those were the areas worst hit by the earthquake last month.”
In the worst-hit areas of Samar and Leyte, she says there are reports of collapsed buildings, including a hotel.
“In Cebu they have had quite a battering and I spoke to our colleagues and they’ve had quite strong winds and are locked down in their hotels. They are waiting to see what the situation is.”
Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private firm Weather Underground, said in a blog post that the damage from Haiyan’s winds must have been “perhaps the greatest wind damage any city on Earth has endured from a tropical cyclone in the past century”.
State meteorologist Romeo Cajulis told AFP news agency Typhoon Haiyan had made landfall over Guiuan at 04:40.
The typhoon arrived with gusts of up to 170 mph, the Philippines’ weather service said in its bulletin, issued at 05:00 local time.
The US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, which typically gives higher readings as they are based on a shorter period of time, said shortly before Haiyan’s landfall that its maximum sustained winds were 195 mph, with gusts up to 235 mph.
Waves as high as 15ft could be seen from the islands of Leyte and Samar, Reuters news agency reported.
The storm is forecast to move over to the South China Sea north of Palawan Island on Saturday, meteorologists say.
In its path are areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.
About 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake, which killed more than 200 people.
Earlier, President Benigno Aquino warned people to leave storm-prone areas and urged seafarers to stay in port.
“No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we’ll be united,” he said in a televised address.
Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Bopha in 2012.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Philippines and is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday.
Typhoon Haiyan, a category five storm, is moving towards the South East Asian nation with winds of up to 173 mph.
Some schools have already been closed and evacuations are under way in some areas.
Ferry operations have been suspended and fishing boats ordered back to port.
Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall around noon on Friday between the islands of Samar and Leyte.
It is predicted to hit central areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Philippines and is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday
Around 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake.
Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Botha in 2012.
Botha devastated parts of the southern Philippines, leaving at least 1,000 people dead and causing more than $1 billion in damage.
“This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations,” state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP.
“There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous.”
Haiyan is the 25th typhoon to enter Philippines territory this year.
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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
