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Authorities in the Philippines are bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Haiyan, which is expected to strike central parts of the country on Friday.

The category five storm is moving towards the South East Asian nation with winds of up to 278 km/h (173mph).

Haiyan - known as Yolanda in the Philippines - is the strongest storm to hit the Pacific this year.

Schools and offices have already been closed in the region and thousands of people are being evacuated.

Relief packages

Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall at around 09:00 local (01:00 GMT) on Friday between Samar and Leyte, two of the Visayan Islands in central Philippines.

It is then forecast to move over to the South China Sea north of Palawan Island on Saturday, meteorologists say.

In its path are areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.

Around 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake, which killed more than 200 people.

The military says its transporting food packages and relief goods to remote communities, and has helicopters on stand-by. Ferry operations have already been suspended and fishing boats ordered back to port.

Thousands of people from villages at risk have been evacuated across several provinces, while schools and offices have shut.

Some areas are already experiencing strong winds and heavy rains, according to Ben Evardone, a member of Congress from Eastern Samar province.

"I have issued a call to prepare for the worst," he told Reuters news agency.

"We have mobilised all LGUs (local government units) and all resources for any contingency. There were already forced and pre-emptive evacuations in some danger areas," he said.

Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Bopha in 2012.

Bopha devastated parts of the southern Philippines, leaving at least 1,000 people dead and causing more than $1bn (£620m) in damage.

"This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations," state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP.

"There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous."

It is the 25th typhoon to enter Philippine territory this year.

Pascal Canning from Maasin City, in Southern Leyte, says all schools have been shut in his area and some residents have left their homes.

"Lots of families in not-so-stable dwellings are either moving in with relatives, or to the evacuation centres. Some of our employees will sleep on our premises tonight."

"The biggest worry is the possibility of mudslides... There is an eerie feeling of anticipation amongst us: excited but scared, because at this time there is total calm that we know will not last."

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Typhoon Haiyan is battering the Philippines with sustained winds of 235 km/h (146mph).

Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall.

Thousands of people have been evacuated, and schools and offices closed in the path of the storm, in a region already struggling to recover from an earthquake last month

I am getting worried for the folks back home.

I am getting worried for the folks back home.


I am sure you are. It's a huge storm. They said maybe the biggest typhoon to ever make landfall. The destruction could be huge.  :-[

We have been in contact and all is fine, for the moment

We have been in contact and all is fine, for the moment

That's good. I have at least one friend who is originally from there; I hope her family is ok too.

Saw this on the news, just awful.

Saw this on the news, just awful.
Yes, the pictures do look bad, and to think it is/was the worse typhoon ever.

We have been in contact and all is fine, for the moment



that's good news Phil.  :)

I just heard about this a few minutes ago, and saw it on the news feed page on MSN. It's really awful news.

My heart is low at the moment for the nation of my wife, but the good news is that the famiky are all fine.

My heart is low at the moment for the nation of my wife, but the good news is that the famiky are all fine.

Good to know.

And now I see updates about it on the front news page. :(

Imagine if this storm intensity headed towards The United States? :o
Last year you did have Hurricane Sandy.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71020000/gif/_71020645_typhoon_haiyan_v3_624(3).gif

My heart is low for the people in Tacloban and the surrounding areas. We have heard that nieces of our family are un-reported for.

We were in Tacloban earlier this year, and were making plans for futurer visits. Now this has happened and the area will not be the same.

My heart is low for the people in Tacloban and the surrounding areas. We have heard that nieces of our family are un-reported for.

We were in Tacloban earlier this year, and were making plans for futurer visits. Now this has happened and the area will not be the same.


I will keep your family in my prayers.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/71020000/gif/_71020645_typhoon_haiyan_v3_624(3).gif


I can't believe the impact it made.  :o

My heart is low for the people in Tacloban and the surrounding areas. We have heard that nieces of our family are un-reported for.

We were in Tacloban earlier this year, and were making plans for futurer visits. Now this has happened and the area will not be the same.


I'll pray for your family.

Typhoon Haiyan, which killed thousands in the Philippines, has made landfall in northern Vietnam, close to the China border, as a weaker Category One storm.

It still carried gusts of up to 157km/h (98 mph) as it arrived close to the Ha Long Bay tourist destination.

Some 600,000 people have been evacuated from at-risk regions in Vietnam and at least six people have been killed.

China issued a typhoon alert for Hainan island, Guangdong and Guangxi after Haiyan's path changed.

The typhoon has decreased markedly in strength from the Category Five storm that swept through the Philippines in a day, causing mass destruction.

It is now classified as a severe tropical storm.

The head of the Red Cross in the Philippines has described the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan as "absolute bedlam".

My heart is low for the people in Tacloban and the surrounding areas. We have heard that nieces of our family are un-reported for.

We were in Tacloban earlier this year, and were making plans for futurer visits. Now this has happened and the area will not be the same.

Praying for your family too.

It has now at the stage I cannot watch the images seen on the news.

It has now at the stage I cannot watch the images seen on the news.


Yeah, this must be very sad for you and your family to watch, all the destruction and devastation.  :\'(

It has now at the stage I cannot watch the images seen on the news.


It must be so upsetting for you see the devastation.  :\'(

It must be so upsetting for you see the devastation.  :\'(
Ii was wanting to visit Tacloban on my next holiday there, and now the visit (now in a future year) will not be the same.