At least 98,000 people in the Phillippines have fled their homes on Thursday as Super Typhoon Rai slammed into the Island chain, leaving two people dead on Friday. Super Typhoon Rai, locally called "Odette" is the strongest and 15th Typhoon to hit the Phillippines this year, packing winds of 260 kilometres per hour, with gusts of over 300 kilometres per hour and later moving with heavy rain and flooding.
“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.
“We are very concerned that climate change is making typhoons more ferocious and unpredictable.”
Communication and power were out on Friday in various parts of the country, making it difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage as well as search and rescue efforts.
Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon said, "Homes are destroyed or partially damaged."
"There's an explosion of debris from falling trees and falling buildings. There were two casualties in the area, two dead from fallen trees and a fallen wall," Gordon added.
Typhoon Rai struck across the Visayas region as well as the Mindanao and Palawan Islands, forcing about 300,000 people to clamour for shelter.
Scientists have warned that typhoons rapidly become more powerful when the world becomes warmer, attributing it to climate change.
