Super typhoon Rai evacuees sheltered in a church as the storm approached the Philippines this morning.

Footage shows the terrified locals taking cover inside the building on Wednesday night through to Thursday December 16 in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental province.

Elsewhere in the region thousands of locals were being evacuated as the storm brought floodwater from the heavy downpours battering the area.

The storm, locally known as Bagyong Odette, was recorded 330 kilometres east of Surigao del Norte province at 4 AM local time, state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its early morning bulletin.

PAGASA added that 'heavy to torrential' rains were expected over the south-central parts of the Philippines until Friday. Storm signal warning 3, the third-highest in the country's four-tiered weather alert system, has been hoisted over the Visayas and northern Mindanao islands.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said Typhoon Rai may become a Category 5 hurricane or super typhoon, possibly reaching speeds of up to 260 kph when it makes landfall.

Thousands of residents in flood and landslide-prone rural areas have been evacuated by local government units as they brace for the powerful typhoon.