Super typhoon Rai blew the roofs off of buildings as it lashed the Philippines on Thursday December 16.

Video shows galvanised iron roofs torn off by the storm littering an empty petrol station in Surigao City, Surigao del Norte province shortly after middat.

State weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said that ‘heavy to torrential’ rains were expected over the south-central parts of the Philippines until Friday.

Typhoon Rai made its first landfall in Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte province 1:30 pm local time. It made a second landfall in the Dinagat Islands at 3:10 pm.

Storm signal warning 4, the most severe in the country’s four-tiered weather alert system, has been hoisted over the provinces of southern Leyte, eastern Bohol, Dinagat Islands, and Surigao del Norte.

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.

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