Thread: Breaking News: Major Typhoon Heading for MNL

UPDATE: Weather officials said Haiyan had sustained winds of 235 kph (147 mph) with gusts of 275 kph (170 mph) when it made landfall. That makes it the world’s strongest typhoon this year, said Aldczar Aurelio of the government’s weather bureau.
Due to cut-off communications, it was impossible to know the full extent of casualties and damage. At least two people were electrocuted in storm-related accidents, one person was killed by a fallen tree and another was struck by lightning, official reports said.
Southern Leyte Gov. Roger Mercado said the typhoon triggered landslides that blocked roads, uprooted trees and ripped roofs off houses around his residence. The dense clouds and heavy rains made the day seem almost as dark as night, he said. President Benigno Aquino III assured the public of war-like preparations, with three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships. If the U.S. figures are correct, they would be the highest ever for a tropical cyclone when it made landfall anywhere on Earth, beating out Hurricane Camille, which had wind speeds of 305 kph (190 mph) at landfall in the southeast United States 1969, said Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is meteorology director at the private company Weather Underground.
There have been three instances of storms with higher winds, but all were at sea when the winds were measured and they were more than 50 years ago when measurement accuracy was an issue, Masters said. He said the record was Super Typhoon Nancy in 1961. “195 mph winds, there aren’t too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind,” Masters told The Associated Press.