Houses were wrecked and trees were uprooted after super typhoon Rai’s onslaught in Surigao City, the Philippines.
Heartbreaking footage taken on December 18 shows the trail of destruction left behind by the storm. Trees and electric posts had smashed into wooden houses, while hillsides were leveled. The typhoon had also topple over power lines, leaving the City without electricity.
Onlooker Gaya Cortes said: ‘We can’t believe how intense the typhoon was. Electric posts were blocking the roads from Cabadbaran to Surigao City.
‘There is no electricity, signal and water here. The residents cannot contact and update their relatives. Drinking water is about to run out.’
Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, smashed into the Philippines on December 16, with winds of up to 195 kilometres per hour, making its first landfall on Siargao island. The powerful typhoon left widespread devastation across the country’s Visayas and Mindanao Islands.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said more than 1.8 million people have been affected by Typhoon Rai, leaving at least 156 people dead and 275 more injured.
Meanwhile the Philippine National Police said the death tally has reached 375 as of Tuesday December 21. The NDRRMC said it is now verifying the data.
Local government units in affected areas have reported power outages and telecommunication problems, with coastal areas suffering the brunt of the damage.
National weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said Typhoon Rai left the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday December 18. It is now moving along China’s southeastern coast.