Philippine storm kills 27, spares Manila
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MANILA (AFP) - A giant storm swept out of the Philippines Tuesday after killing at least 27 people and devastating remote coastal communities, but there was relief it spared the capital and other areas from disaster.
Hagupit struck the far eastern island of Samar on Saturday with winds of 210 kilometres (130 miles) an hour, making it the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year and threatening widespread destruction.
But the typhoon steadily weakened as it travelled west across the central Philippines, passing close to the capital of Manila on Monday night with only a fraction of the forecast torrential rain.
After a series of catastrophic storms in recent years killed thousands, President Benigno Aquino spearheaded what the United Nations said was one of the biggest peacetime evacuation efforts ever.
Aquino issued nationwide orders to ensure there was no repeat of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which claimed more than 7,350 lives as it devastated entire communities in November last year.
Nearly 1.7 million people sheltered in evacuation centres as Hagupit passed their areas, according to government figures, and authorities hailed the strategy as a template for coping with future disasters.
