Typhoon Megi 'biggest in 20 years'

The Philippines has declared a state of calamity in a northern province after super typhoon Megi made landfall, killing at least one man, cutting off power and communications, evacuating thousands and forcing flight cancellations. Megi, the 10th and strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, reached Isabela province on Monday morning (local time) and by early evening was heading west-south-west across the north of the main island of Luzon with winds of 180 kilometres per hour (kph) near the centre, forecasters said. The Red Cross says Megi is the biggest typhoon to hit the Phillippines in decades, and that its impact could be devastating. "It's a very, very big typhoon that's hitting our country, biggest in the last 20 years," Philippine National Red Cross chairman Senator Richard Gordon said. "It could inundate coastal areas, river banks and it might cause landslides. "Right now everybody is hunkered down, so communication is kind of difficult at the moment. We're getting all our volunteers to text us or call us in case the situation turns sour." Tropical Storm Risk said Megi, known locally as Juan, was a category 5 super typhoon, the highest rating, with winds of more than 250 kph when it hit mountains in north-east Luzon.