Thousands of people in the Philippines fled their homes and beachfront resorts as super typhoon Rai slammed into the country Thursday, with a charity warning the storm could hit coastal communities "like a freight train".
Rai was packing maximum sustained winds of 195 kilometres an hour as it made landfall on the southern island of Siargao at 1:30 pm , the state weather forecaster said.“This monster storm is frightening and threatens to hit coastal communities like a freight train,” said Alberto Bocanegra, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Philippines.
Weather forecaster Christopher Perez said the winds could “topple electric posts and trees” and damage houses made of light materials.Rai, locally named “Odette”, is hitting the Philippines late in the typhoon season, with most cyclones developing between July and October.