Typhoon Goni slams into the Philippines

The super typhoon hit the eastern Catanduanes island province early on Sunday, triggering heavy rainfall and sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. The Office of Civil Defense reported at least 16 people died in Catanduanes and nearby Albay province, where three other people are missing. The storm weakened as it blew across the capital city of Manila before heading into the South China Sea. Goni is one of the strongest storms to hit the country after Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,300 people in 2013.

What is the impact on the ground? Catanduanes Rep. Hector Sanchez said the storm washed away about 10,000 shanties along the coastlines and toppled about 80 percent of the electric posts. In Albay, heavy rainfall triggered mudflows that buried about 150 houses in the town of Guinobatan. Typhoon Molave killed at least 22 people in the country last week, and another storm, Atsani, is gaining strength near the Philippines.

Dig deeper: Read my earlier report in The Sift on the impact of Typhoon Molave.