At least four people have been killed after Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, hit the Philippines. The victims are reported to include a mother and child who drowned in South Cotabato, and a boy who was struck by lightning in Zamboanga City.
A fourth was killed by a falling tree although the death toll is expected to rise as the worst affected areas after currently cut off.
Three quaters of a million people were ordered to leave their homes in villages in Haiyan's path amid fears the storm damage could be the worst in the Philippines' history.
President Benigno Aquino III threatened to use guns to force people living in high-risk areas, including 100 coastal communities, to move in a desperate bid to save lives.
War-like preparations were swung into place with three C-130 air force cargo planes and 32 military helicopters and planes on standby, along with 20 navy ships.
"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," Mr Aquino said in a televised address.
The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre in Hawaii said Haiyan's maximum sustained winds were 195mph (314kmph), with gusts up to 235mph (379kmph).
Some meteorologists have claimed it is the strongest severe tropical storm to make landfall. The previous record holder, according to Reuters and AP, was Hurricane Camillie in 1969 which had winds up to 190mph. The cyclone whipped up the seas, producing waves that reached 6m (19ft) high, threatening to inundate low lying areas.
Detailed Imagery of Super Typhoon Haiyan's Eye (Image: NOAA)
Local journalist Mike Cohen said "We're seeing a lot of strong winds but not a lot of rain. There are already reports of some landslides and very strong storm surge entering towns and villages in the path of the storm".
"Trees are falling and there is lots of damage reported across the region" he added.
The typhoon is believed to have made land fall on the northern tip of Cebu Province, about 400 miles south east of the capital Manila. Up to 12 million people live in the affected areas, including the tourist districts of Leyte Island and Borocay Island.
Some of the damage in the aftermath
According to Mr. Cohen, power has been cut to the worst-affected areas, mainly as a preventative measure to avoid electrocution, but this was making communications difficult.
Among the 720,000 evacuated are thousands of refugees from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol last month, who have been living in tents since the disaster hit.
Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is a director at the private firm Weather Underground, warned that there would be "catastrophic damage".
He said "195mph winds; there aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind. The wind damage should be the most extreme in Philippines' history".
The strength of the wind made it one of the four most powerful typhoons ever recorded in the world, and the most powerful to have made landfall, he added.
But other meteorologists forecast lower readings, saying the storm's speed at landfall had sustained winds at 145mph (234kmph) with gusts of 170mph (275kmph).
Deep, Warm Water Fuels Haiyan Intensification (Image: NOAA)
Haiyan is expected to sweep through the Philippines' central region before moving toward the South China Sea over the weekend, heading towards Vietnam. Meteorologists fear that it could intensify further as it approaches the Vietnamese coast.
The head of the government's main disaster response agency in the capital Manila said people are still being moved from communities prone to landslides and flooding.
But there is hope that, as Haiyan is a fast-moving storm, flooding from heavy rain - which usually causes the most deaths from typhoons in the Philippines - may not be as bad.
Haiyan is the 24th tropical storm to hit the Philippines this year. Last year, Typhoon Bopha, which had maximum sustained winds of 175mph, killed 1,100 people in the country.
This is one of the many evacuation centres around the country
Main Image: NOAA
