More than 7,00,000 people fled the central Philippines amid threats of giant waves, floods and landslides as powerful Typhoon Melor approached the archipelago nation, officials said on Monday.
Melor brushed the northern tip of Samar, a farming island of 1.5 million people early Monday, with winds gusting at 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour, the state weather bureau said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.
Samar was among areas devastated in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, when giant waves wiped out entire communities, leaving 7,350 people dead or missing.
Authorities warned that Melor's powerful winds had the potential to whip up four-metre (13-feet) high waves, blow off tin roofs and uproot trees while heavy rains within its 300-kilometre diameter could trigger floods and landslides.
In Albay province alone, almost 6,00,000 people were evacuated due to fears that heavy rain could cause mudslides on the slopes of nearby Mayon Volcano, according to the national disaster monitoring office.