Typhoon Hagupit sent waves crashing through coastal communities ripped and apart homes all across the eastern Philippines, creating more misery for millions following a barrage of deadly disasters.
The typhoon roared in from the Pacific Ocean and crashed into remote fishing communities of Samar island with wind gusts of 130 miles an hour, according to local officials.
The wind strength made Hagupit the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, exceeding a typhoon in July that killed more than 100.
Fearful of a repeat of last year when Super Typhoon Haiyan claimed more than 7,350 lives, the government ordered a massive evacuation effort ahead of Hagupit that saw millions of people seek shelter.
Hagupit was forecast to take three days to cut across the Philippines, passing over mostly poor central regions, while also bringing heavy rain to the densely populated capital of Manila slightly to the north, with storm surges 16-feet high in some areas, flash flooding, landslides and winds strong enough to tear apart even sturdy homes.
Tens of millions of people live in the Super-typhoon's path, including those in the central Philippines who are still struggling to recover from the devastation of Haiyan, which hit 13 months ago. Super-typhoon is a term utilized by for typhoons that reach maximum sustained 1-minute surface winds of at least 65 .