epa03940585 A Filipino woman uses a plastic sheet during a downpour brought by Typhoon Haiyan in Manila, Philippines 08 November 2013. The most powerful cyclone in three decades battered the Philippines killing at least one, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, and cutting power and communication. Typhoon Haiyan was packing maximum sustained winds of 235 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 275 kph as it made landfall over Guiuan town in Eastern Samar province, 650 kilometres south-east of Manila, the national weather bureau said. Other weather organizations placed Haiyan’s maximum winds at 315 kph and gusts at 380 kph. More than 125,000 people were evacuated from homes in coastal communities and areas prone to floods or landslides in 22 provinces before Haiyan hit, according to the national disaster relief agency. EPA/DENNIS M. SABANGAN
