Manila: Local officials have placed the northern Philippine province of Isabela under a state of calamity after super typhoon Megi made landfall yesterday, cutting off power and communications and forced flight cancellations.
Floods brought by heavy rains also put the region's rice crop at risk.
Initial reports said at least three people were killed. Television footage showed uprooted trees on roads, and metal and thatched roofing blown off houses.
Megi, the 10th and strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, hit Isabela province at 11.25am (0325 GMT) and by early evening was heading west-southwest across the north of the main island of Luzon with winds of 180kph near the centre, weather forecasters said.
According to National Telecommunications Commission spokesman Paolo Arceo, as much as 90 per cent of communication lines in Isabela and its neighbouring province Cagayan are down.
Massive damage
Tropical Storm Risk, a UK government supported weather tracking initiative, said Megi, known locally as Juan, was a category 5 super typhoon, the highest rating, with winds of more than 250kph when it hit mountains in northeastern Luzon.
"The governor of Isabela declared a state of calamity, so there could be massive damage and destruction there," Benito Ramos, executive director of the national disaster agency, told reporters.
An airport official said Air Philippines had cancelled two flights to Cagayan's capital city of Tuguegarao while Cebu Pacific Air cancelled flights Cauayan, Isabela.
In six hours from 8am, Tuguegarao had 54mm of rain while Baguio City on the western side of Luzon had 28mm, the weather bureau said.
The typhoon is expected to exit Luzon island by around midnight on Monday and head across South China Sea towards China.
Angelito Banayo, Administrator of the National Food Authority told Reuters the government's worst case scenario was Megi could damage 232,169 tonnes of unmilled rice crop in the north with only 30 per cent of it able to be harvested.
The Philippines is the world's biggest rice importer and damage from the typhoon could see it buy more than had been expected for 2011, which could push up international prices.
Andrew Villacorta, regional executive director in the agriculture department, said Cagayan accounted for 12 per cent of national rice output, or about 1 million tonnes of unmilled rice.
He said just over one third of the crop had been harvested, while about 90 per cent of the corn crop had been harvested.
With inputs from agencies
