Haiyan-like super typhoon set to slam into Philippines

Manila - We only pray that we be spared destruction such as in the previous past which brought agony and suffering: Duterte

Philippine forecasters warned that a super typhoon set to slam into the country's northeast late Wednesday may bring widespread damage similar to that wrought by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and asked people to flee out of harm's way.
Typhoon Haima, which was packing sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 315 kph (195 mph), was blowing over the Philippine Sea and was expected to hit the coast of northern Cagayan or Isabela province around midnight, according to the forecasters.
The government's weather agency raised the highest of a five-level storm warning in four northern provinces, which meant that powerful winds could inflict "very heavy to widespread damage" and whip up storm surges of up to five meters (16 feet), enough to engulf shanties in many rural communities.
"We are possibly dealing with a typhoon that is even stronger than Typhoon Yolanda," said Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, referring to the local name for Haiyan. "We must, therefore, brace ourselves for the possible effects of a typhoon of this magnitude."
As Haima blew nearer, fierce winds began toppling some trees and rattling tin roofs. Many of the provinces are still recovering from powerful Typhoon Sarika, which left at least two people dead and displaced tens of thousands of villagers last weekend. The region was spared from a major disaster due in part to the storm's speed, officials said.
In Beijing, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte urged people in the typhoon's path to heed orders by disaster agencies, including abandoning coastal communities prone to storm surges. Duterte is on a state visit to China and is to fly home Friday.
"We only pray that we be spared destruction such as in the previous past which brought agony and suffering to our people, but we are ready," Duterte said at a news conference.
A massive evacuation was underway in the northern provinces, especially in landslide-prone towns which often become isolated due to toppled trees and mudslides. Thousands of villagers, helped by police and army troops, clambered on trucks with their children and bags of clothes, sleeping mats and cooking pots to be taken to emergency shelters.
Haima, locally known as Lawin, was hurtling westward at a speed of 25 kph (15 mph) with a vast rain band 800 kilometers (500 miles) wide that could bring heavy to intense rain in Luzon, including its central rice-growing plains.
The typhoon is forecast to blow away from the country on Thursday and cross the South China Sea, possibly toward China.
About 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, adding to the many burdens in a country that is also threatened by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and considered one of the world's most disaster-prone nations.
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines with ferocious power, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing and displacing more than 5 million others after leveling entire villages.

• Philippines