Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon 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. (Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines - Activations - International Disasters Charter) 

Following Mount Pinatubo's cataclysmic June 15, 1991, eruption, thousands of roofs collapsed under the weight of ash made wet by heavy rains (see example in first photo above). Ash deposits from the eruption have also been remobilized by monsoon and typhoon rains to form giant mudflows of volcanic materials (lahars), which have caused more destruction than the eruption itself (the next photo/photo at the right shows village buried by lahars). (Photo above courtesy of Peter Baxter, University of Cambridge. (The Cataclysmic 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, Fact Sheet 113-97) 

 The third typhoon to hit the storm-battered Philippines in as many weeks caused major flooding in Manila on Thursday, trapping people on rooftops and claiming at least two lives in another part of the country.

Typhoon Vamco packed winds of up to 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour as it swept across the country's largest island of Luzon after making landfall overnight.

Authorities warned of landslides and potentially deadly storm surges along the coast.

Heavy rain effectively shut down Manila, the sprawling capital of 12 million people, and surrounding areas, turning streets into rivers.

"A lot of places are submerged. Many people are crying for help," said Rouel Santos, 53, a retired disaster officer in Rizal province, next to the capital.

Santos said the flooding caused by Vamco brought back memories of the devastating Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, that hit in 2009 and claimed hundreds of lives. Flores, Ron Lopez Mikhail. “Major Floods in Manila as Typhoon Batters Philippines.” Philstar.com, 12 Nov. 2020, www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/11/12/2056440/major-floods-manila-typhoon-batters-philippines.