Super typhoon Rai left a trail of destruction in its wake this morning as it ripped through the Philippines killing at least one person.
Video shows trees and iron roofs torn down by the typhoon’s violent winds in Cebu City on Friday December 17. Debris littered the streets, while the branches of a tree had crashed down on a parked car.
State weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that ‘heavy to torrential’ rains were expected over the south-central parts of the Philippines until Friday.
Typhoon Rai made its first landfall in Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte province 1:30 pm local time, weakening from a Category 5 hurricane or super typhoon to a Category 3 storm.
More than 300,000 residents in flood and landslide-prone rural areas have been preemptively evacuated by local government units while bracing for the powerful typhoon. Disaster officials confirmed that one person had died so far – a 54-year-old woman whose residence was smashed by bamboo trees in Iloilo City.
PAGASA said Typhoon Rai may make another landfall in the northern-central portion of the Palawan islands today before exiting the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday.