Super Typhoon Yolanda leaves trail of wreckage across central PHL

Super Typhoon Yolanda's powerful winds tore structures apart and uprooted trees, lashing the Central Philippines Friday and affecting thousands of residents and cutting off communications in affected provinces. News reports on GMA 7's "24 Oras" showed the monstrous strength of Yolanda, considered as the strongest typhoon in recorded history to hit land. In Tacloban City, Leyte, tornado-like winds destroyed a metal shed like flimsy cardboard, according to a "24 Oras" report. In Masbate, the super typhoon destroyed a barangay hall in Dapdap village in Usmon town, with pieces of the roof blown away by the wind. Even a sports complex used as an evacuation center in Kalibo, Aklan was not spared - its roof was ripped off by the wind, prompting the transfer of the evacuees to a nearby school. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in Aklan said it may declare a state of calamity on Saturday, the report said. Meanwhile, the strong winds toppled a ship off the coast of Barangay Canlaray, Borongan, Eastern Samar, killing two, injuring 9 others, with 11 missing, the report said. In Sagñay, Camarines Sur, at least 50 houses near the coastline were destroyed by the storm surge, another report said. Another blow Still recovering from the effects of a magnitude-7.2 earthquake on Oct. 15, Bohol suffered another blow with a landslide in Cortes town, and a storm surge that destroyed houses in Anda. If things weren't bad enough, a tornado also wrecked houses in Janda, Bohol. Meanwhile, at around 5 a.m., a tree crashed across and blocked the Transcentral Highway in Cebu City. Another tree was uprooted in front of the Magellan's Cross in Cebu City, according to a separate "Quick Response Team" report. In the midst of the disaster, the Buenaventura family in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro opened their house to at least 33 Mang'yan families. "Blessing pa rin po sa amin, sa buhay ng pamilya ko, na nakatulong tayo," Amalia Buenaventura said in the report. The super typhoon cut the mobile phone services telecoms Smart, Sun, and Globe in the provinces of Samar and Leyte, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) reported. At least 67 cell sites belonging to Globe were affected by power outages in Samar and Leyte, while Smart's service in Leyte were degraded, the NTC said. Yolanda was 405 km west of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro 4 a.m. Saturday. It is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility Saturday evening. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/JDS/DVM, GMA News