The capital of the Philippines, Manila, has lost power after being struck by a powerful typhoon, Typhoon Nesat. So far, at least 7 people have been killed, some of them children. 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate the Albay province.
The typhoon (the same thing as a hurricane, but occuring in the western Pacific) is now moving slowly across the country and is projected to eventually hit southern China. It appears to be the largest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year and comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana killed over 400 people.
Philippines financial markets were closed, as was the US embassy there. Manila’s largest hospital was flooded and the gym being used as an evacuation center had its roof torn off. Flooding in the streets of Manila is about waist high.
The typhoon, when striking land, had a diameter of about 400 miles (650 km) and wind speeds of up to 105mph (170km/h).
Here’s a short video of some of the disaster:
Apparently, 4 of the deaths came as a woman and three children were crushed to death by a collapsing building in the suburbs of Manila. So sad…
4 fisherman are currently missing. So far, about 50 have been rescued following the capsizing of their boats.
Best wishes to all those bearing out the storm right now and in the coming days, weeks, and months.