Half a million flee their homes in terror as 150mph Typhoon 'Smash' bears down on Philippines

 

 

 

Half a million flee their homes in terror as 150mph Typhoon 'Smash' bears down on Philippines Thousands flee coastal villages and landslide zones as 150mph Typhoon Hagupit is set to strike the Philippines The capital Manila, where 12 million people live, could be in the firing line, the U.S. military warned last night Families with young children and babies take refuge in churches and sports stadiums as the storm approaches Ports close across the nation and flights are cancelled as the country braces itself for Pacific typhoon to arrive Hagupit, Filipino for 'smash', is expected to make landfall on the eastern coast of the Philippines late tomorrow Huge storm comes just a year after Typhoon Haiyan claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people in the Philippines Half a million people have fled their homes in the Philippines as the nation braces itself for a second devastating typhoon in just over a year. Typhoon Hagupit, Filipino for 'smash', is expected to batter swathes of the nation with 150mph winds tomorrow, including the densely populated capital Manila, with millions of people in the firing line. Coastal villages and areas prone to landslides were left deserted as people made their way to safer land, just over a year after Typhoon Haiyan claimed 7,000 lives. +22 Typhoon Hagupit, with winds of up to 150mph, is expected to strike the eastern coast of the Philippines late tomorrow, just over a year after Typhoon Haiyan claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people +22 A satellite image taken from miles above Earth shows the typhoon moving across the Pacific Ocean towards the Philippines +22 Families sought refuge in churches, town halls and sports stadiums as the typhoon closed in, with Filipinos better prepared for the storm than last year +22 Coastal villages and areas prone to landslides were left deserted as people made their way to safe zones, such as Tacloban city (pictured) +22 Children and babies, such as two-month-old Ivan Lecciones (pictured), took shelter in a temporary evacuation centre in a church +22 A woman prays with rosaries inside a makeshift evacuation centre as the Philippines braces for Typhoon Hagupit to strike +22 Villagers abandoned houses on the coast as clouds began to form over eastern areas of the Philippines, with residents heading to safer areas inland Families with young children and babies were seen taking cover in churches, town halls and sports stadiums today as they prepared for Hagupit to arrive, fearing it could wreak as much havoc as Haiyan, which destroyed a million homes and displaced more than four million last November. Hagupit, Filipino for 'smash', is expected to make landfall on the eastern coast of the Pacific nation late on Saturday, but the U.S, military believe it may veer north and threaten Manila - where 12 million people live. More than 2,000 people were left stranded in the city as ports closed across the nation. Some Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific flights in the south of the nation were shut as the storm closed in.  Mayor of Manila Joseph Estrada said: 'We have alerted the people of Manila and we're ready. These typhoons change direction all the time.' +22 Forecasts show the typhoon is expected to travel across central Philippines, with some suggesting it could veer north towards Manila +22 Families left their homes behind, in the knowledge that last year's typhoon destroyed a million house and left four million people displaced +22 Thousands were left stranded as ports closed across the nation, with flights in the south of the nation also cancelled as the storm approached +22 Armed policemen stood guard outside a shopping centre in an attempt to stop people from panic-buying in the lead up to tomorrow's typhoon +22 Shelves began to empty as residents of Tacloban city, where thousands of people have been evacuated, stocked up on supplies +22 People wait for relief goods outside a church after evacuating their homes as the Typhoon, set to hit tomorrow evening, approached +22 A lone Typhoon Haiyan survivor is seen in a 'tent city' near Tacloban city, but most people living there have been evacuated to safer buildings +22 Families queued up outside town halls as they waited for relief to arrive, with people stocking up on what they can before the storm arrives +22 An elderly woman sits while other family members gather their belongings as they arrive at a stadium to seek refuge WHY IS THE PHILIPPINES STRUCK BY TYPHOONS SO OFTEN? Dr Steven Godby, expert in natural hazards at Nottingham Trent University, said: 'No other country is struck by as many tropical cyclones each year as the Philippines. 'For these storms to form, warm sea surface temperatures of at least 26C are needed and these conditions are found in the western parts of the main ocean basins, away from cold water currents.  'Isolated island groups like the Philippines are particularly vulnerable to tropical cyclones.' Hagupit is forecast to tear through central Philippines along the same route where Haiyan levelled villages and left more than 7,300 dead or missing.  The typhoon, which currently lies more than 250 miles east of the Philippines, strengthened overnight as gusts intensified to 155mph.  In Manila, President Benigno Aquino yesterday led an emergency meeting of disaster-response agencies. The government put the military on full alert, workers opened evacuation centers and transported food packs, medicines and body bags to far-flung villages, which could be cut off by heavy rains.  The Philippines appears to have learned lessons from last year's devastation, evacuating thousands to safer areas, including the eastern city of Tacloban, where the typhoon has triggered panic-buying in shops and petrol stations.  Joho Moro, a 42-year-old businessman whose wife, daughter and mother were killed in Tacloban by Haiyan last year, said: 'I'm scared. I'm praying to God not to let another disaster strike us again. We haven't recovered from the first.' He added that he had stocked up on essential supplies and water in preparation for the storm.  +22 Workers fold a billboard sign in anticipation of strong winds brought by Typhoon Hagupit on a coastal road in Cavite City, south of Manila +22 Stranded passengers sleep on chairs in ports north of Manila as ferries were cancelled in anticipation of Typhoon Hagupit +22 A stranded cargo ship washed ashore in Anibong village, near Tacloban, after Typhoon Haiyan last year awaits another battering +22 Children carried their belongings and each other as they made their way to safe areas, passing another ship left stranded after last year's devastation +22 Widow Ginalyn Edca holds a picture of her husband who was killed by Haiyan as she makes a way to an evacuation centre +22 Alexander Pama, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, points to a satellite image of Typhoon Hagupit which is brewing over the Pacific Ocean Hundreds of people still living in tents following Haiyan, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, were among the first to be relocated to safe zones in Tacloban, which has run out of hotel rooms as wealthier families booked ahead for the weekend.   Rita Villadolid, a 39-year-old taking refuge inside a stadium said: 'We've learned our lesson from Yolanda. Everyone here is gripped with fear.' Disaster response official Blanche Gobenciong said nearly 12,000 residents in Tacloban, where entire settlements were wiped out by the storm, have so far been moved from high-risk villages to emergency shelters. She said: 'We've not heard of villagers resisting to be evacuated. Their trauma is still so fresh.  'We have a zero-casualty target. Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong.' The typhoon was downgraded to a category 4 today, a level below a 'super typhoon', with hopes it may weaken to winds of around 108mph by the time it strikes tomorrow.