Powerful typhoon lashes the Philippines

World Today

Typhoon Rammasun battered the Philippine capital Manila and surrounding provinces Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction and at least 38 dead. The typhoon is on its way out of the country but forecasters say the effects will continue to be felt. CCTV’s Barnaby Lo reports.

The experience from super typhoon Haiya, the most powerful storm ever to hit land, was enough to keep Filipinos indoors on Wednesday. Strong winds uprooted trees, toppled power lines, and sent debris flying. Heavy rain also flooded some low-lying areas, rendering roads impassable. Among those most at risk were coastal communities.

Hundreds of thousands of families had been evacuated ahead of the typhoon as the government feared a repeat of typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 people and flattened entire towns and communities.

One of the worst fears Filipinos now have after Typhoon Haiyan are tsunami-like storm surges. As a result, sand bags line the sea walls. Authorities in Manila are taking no chances — storm surges have happened here before and could definitely happen again.

Powerful typhoon lashes the Philippines

Typhoon Rammasun battered the Philippine capital Manila and surrounding provinces Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction and at least 20 dead. The category three storm is on its way out of the country but forecasters say the effects will continue to be felt. CCTV's Barnaby Lo reports.