Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines

Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) made landfall over the central Philippines at 04:40, local time, on 08 November 2013. The official death toll from the storm was 6,300, but a full tally of the lives lost may never be achieved. Millions of people in 20 provinces were affected.

The category five storm brought winds as strong as 314 km/h and analysts believe it may be one of the strongest storms to make landfall in recorded history.

Among the worst affected areas were the central islands of Leyte and Samar and made landfall over the eastern Visayas. From there it moved in an easterly direction then north toward Vietnam and China over the coming days.

The storm left widespread damage in its wake across the Philippine islands, with power lines cut off and roads blocked by fallen debris and trees. Buildings were flattened under the strong winds, with wooden houses particularly susceptible to the storm. Haiyan also caused a storm surge which brought waves crashing down onto coastal areas, and the damage from the storm surge was more extensive than that of the winds.

The Philippines was still recovering from the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the island of Bohol on 15 October, causing further misery to the island nation.

Typhoon Haiyan had a devastating and long-lasting impact on the Philippines.