Typhoon Hagupit Slams Into Philippines

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A powerful typhoon has slammed into eastern Philippines, where 650,000 people have fled to safety in one of the largest peacetime evacuations in the nation's history.

Gusts of 130mph have been recorded alongside sustained winds of 109mph.

The typhoon made landfall on Saturday night in central Eastern Samar province - but the centre of the storm remains several hours away.

The winds, as well as pounding rain, has knocked out power lines and toppled trees in the town of Dolores.

Senior Inspector Alex Robin said: "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."

The Philippines' 120,000-strong military is on alert to respond to a possible catastrophe.

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Gallery: Philippines Braces For Huge Typhoon

People take shelter inside a church after evacuating their homes due to super-typhoon Hagupit in Tacloban city, central Philippines

Ports are shut, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and some local authorities ordered forced evacuations as super-typhoon Hagupit swept towards eastern coasts of the island nation

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Meteorologists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) monitor and plot the direction of super typhoon Hagupit

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Known locally as Ruby, the storm will bear down on the Philipinnes this weekend

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Residents with their belongings wait for a government vehicle to bring them to the evacuation center in Tacloban city

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General Gregorio Pio Catapang said: "We're on red alert, so the entire armed forces is being mobilised for this typhoon."

Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tried to calm anxious families, and urged for as much preventative action to be taken as possible. The winds are strong enough to trigger deadly storm surges and landslides.

In a televised address, he said: "This is it. I know you are tired, not enough sleep, not enough food, too much coffee. But this is our last push. Every person we can save now is one less we have to look for after the typhoon passes."

Troops have been deployed to supermarkets and major roads to prevent looting and clear debris.

The UN says the evacuation is one of the largest in Philippine history.

Nearly 100 domestic flights have been cancelled and inter-island ferry services suspended, leaving thousands of people stranded.

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Gallery: Before And After Images

View of the entrance to San Roque Elementary School in Leyte, Philippines

The same view one year on

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The region is still haunted by the destruction wrought by Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 people dead or missing last November.

Eastern Samar province representative Ben Evardone said: "Everybody is in fear because of what happened during Haiyan. We can already feel the wrath of the typhoon. Everybody is praying."

Forecasters had been predicting that the typhoon would follow a more southern route, and have warned that its path is unpredictable.

Blanche Gobenciong, a regional disaster-response director, said: "We have a zero-casualty target. Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong."

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