Walls collapsed, bamboo scaffolding was torn down and windows were blown out – Typhoon Mangkhut, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit Hong Kong, battered the city on Sunday. 
 
 The Observatory issued a typhoon signal No 10 – the highest warning on Hong Kong’s storm scale – at 9.40am on Sunday. A red rainstorm warning, the second highest on that scale, followed just over an hour later. 
 
 The rains brought serious flooding and waves at least three metres high to the coastal areas. 
 
 A widely circulated online video showed a residential building swaying in the gusts. 
 
 Erica Cheung King-chi, 37, who lives with her husband and son, 1, on the 26th floor of a residential building facing the sea in Aberdeen, said her flat started to shake around noon and did not stop for three hours. 
 
 “When I stood still, I could feel the flat shaking like it was an earthquake,” Cheung said. “When I lay down, I could feel my bed moving … I felt nauseous. It was like taking a ferry.” 
 
 Cheung said gusts shrieked through her kitchen’s ventilation fan. “Even Hato wasn’t this serious.” 
 
 Super Typhoon Hato, which struck in August 2017, was the last time a No 10 signal had been issued. 
 
 Serious flooding was reported in areas such as Heng Fa Chuen, Shek O, Lei Yue Mun, villages in Tuen Mun, and Tai O. 
 
 These areas were also the worst hit during Hato. 
 
 In seaside housing estate Heng Fa Chuen, the water level rose quickly, taking just 30 minutes to reach waist height by about 11am. Photos and videos by residents showed high waves sweeping into blocks facing the sea, reaching as high as the fourth floor. 
 
 One 60-year-old resident living on the eighth floor of a sea-facing block said her bedroom window was torn away by the gusts, with rain soaking the room. 
 
 The woman, surnamed Lo, said she had to use a plastic sheet to cover the window. 
 
 “Our block is most exposed to winds during typhoons,” Lo said. “It was especially serious this year.” 
 
 In Tuen Mun’s Ka Wo Lei village, water also reached waist height, according to resident Jimmy Chan, who, like many others there, had refused to evacuate despite official warnings. 
 
 Chan said villagers had been preparing for the worst for days. He had moved expensive electronic equipment onto tables and piled sandbags in front of his house, but water still flooded in and damaged his two televisions and a fridge. 
 
 “I’m on social security. How can I afford to buy a new TV and fridge?” Chan said. 
 
 Eddie Tse Sai-kit, executive secretary for concern group Tai O Sustainable Development Education Workshop, said he saw waist-high water on the main shopping street in the fishing village, with many shops affected. But he said he expected less damage this year as residents were better prepared than they had been for Hato. 
 
 Buildings old and new across the city also sustained damage. 
 
 In Tai Kok Tsui, a section of a roof and external wall was ripped off an old building at the junction of Tai Kok Tsui Road and Fuk Lee Street at about 10am, according to police. A tree growing in the wall was also torn off. The debris fell into a back alley and there were no reports of injuries, police said. 
 
 Lam Siu-hung, 46, who lives with her husband and six-year-old daughter in a rooftop home in the district, said her metal-sheet roof was shaking violently around noon, and water seeped in from the roof and walls. 
 
 She saw another rooftop home across the street completely flipped over. 
 
 Also in Tai Kok Tsui, a lift shaft at the construction site of residential block Enchantee fell from the top of the building onto the roof of an adjacent residential block, and part of the scaffolding around the building also collapsed. 
 
 Police said 40 residents in the block were evacuated and no one was injured. 
 
 There were also reports of scaffolding collapsing in other districts. 
 
 Dozens of windows in Hung Hom office building One Harbourfront smashed, with shattered glass piled up on the street below. 
 
 “I have never seen anything like this,” said Australian tourist Dave Bryer, 55, of the piles of glass shards. “This is shocking.” 
 
 Charlie Jiang, 27, who has lived in the area for five years, said she had never seen windows smash like that. 
 
 “It was nothing like this when previous typhoons hit,” she said. 
 
 Insurance company Sun Life was one of the affected tenants in the building. Its spokesman Jeff Kozan said the company had told all affected employees to stay home until further notice on Monday. 
 
 Kozan said the company would inspect the damage as soon as it was safe and take appropriate follow-up measures. 
 
 Across Hong Kong there were reports of broken windows, including in Central’s prime shopping and office complex IFC, and in Tseung Kwan O. 
 
 The police received a report that 44-year-old woman was hit by a window that fell from a building on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. 
 
 The famous Duddell Street Steps in Central, the site of Hong Kong’s last four gas lights, was badly damaged by fallen trees. The historic steps, built between 1875 and 1889, are a popular backdrop of local movies and drama series. 
 
 In Tseung Kwan O, two policemen were sent to hospital after being hit by a fallen tree branch. The pair were with colleagues and firefighters dealing with a collapse 15-metre tree at the junction of Clear Water Bay Road and Pik Sha Road at the time. 
 
 Additional reporting by Tony Cheung ||||| Residents work to repair a damaged roof due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkhut after it barreled across Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Typhoon... (Associated Press) 
 
 Residents work to repair a damaged roof due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkhut after it barreled across Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut roared toward densely populated Hong Kong and southern China on Sunday after ravaging across... (Associated Press) 
 
 HONG KONG (AP) — Typhoon Mangkhut barreled into southern China on Sunday after lashing the northern Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that left at least 36 people dead and dozens more feared buried in a landslide. 
 
 Ahead of the massive typhoon, nearly half a million people had been evacuated from seven cities in China's Guangdong province, the gambling enclave of Macau closed casinos for the first time and the Hong Kong Observatory warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark, where storm surges battered the sandbag-reinforced waterfront. 
 
 Mangkhut made landfall in the city of Taishan in Guangdong province at 5 p.m. local time, packing wind speeds of 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour. State television broadcaster CGTN reported that surging waves flooded a seaside hotel in the city of Shenzhen. 
 
 Authorities in southern China had issued a red alert, the most severe warning, as the national meteorological center said the densely populated region would face a "severe test caused by wind and rain" and urged officials to prepare for possible disasters. 
 
 On Sunday morning, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph). The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls. 
 
 Hundreds of flights were canceled. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were also halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co. said. 
 
 In Hong Kong, a video posted online by residents showed the top corner of an old building break and fall off while in another video, a tall building swayed as strong winds blew. 
 
 The storm also broke windows, felled trees, tore bamboo scaffolding off buildings under construction and flooded areas with sometimes waist-high waters, according to the South China Morning Post. 
 
 The paper said the heavy rains brought storm surges of 3 meters (10 feet) around Hong Kong. 
 
 Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to prepare for the worst. 
 
 "Because Mangkhut will bring winds and rains of extraordinary speeds, scope and severity, our preparation and response efforts will be greater than in the past," Lee said. "Each department must have a sense of crisis, make a comprehensive assessment and plan, and prepare for the worst." 
 
 Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific said all of its flights would be canceled between 2:30 a.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday. The city of Shenzhen also canceled all flights between Sunday and early Monday morning. Hainan Airlines canceled 234 flights in the cities of Haikou, Sanya, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai scheduled this weekend. 
 
 In Macau, next door to Hong Kong, casinos were ordered to close from 11 p.m. Saturday, the first time such action was taken in the city, the South China Morning Post reported. Macau suffered catastrophic flooding during Typhoon Hato last year, leading to accusations of corruption and incompetence at its meteorological office. 
 
 In Macau's inner harbor district on Sunday, the water level reached 1.5 meters (5 feet) and was expected to rise further. The district was one of the most affected by floods from Typhoon Hato, which left 10 people dead. 
 
 In Fujian province and other parts of southern China, tens of thousands of fishing boats returned to port and construction work came to a stop. 
 
 In the northern Philippines, at least 40 people, mostly gold miners, are feared to have been trapped in a landslide in a mountain town that was pummeled by the typhoon before it blew out of the country late Saturday. 
 
 Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio told The Associated Press by phone that dozens of rescuers, including army troops and police, have dug out at least seven bodies from the huge mound of mud and rocks in the far-flung town of Itogon in Benguet province. 
 
 A part of the mountainside collapsed on the miners' bunkhouses Saturday at the height of the typhoon's onslaught, Tacio said, adding that rescuers were scrambling to pull out the body of another victim pinned by rocks and mud before she left the area Sunday. 
 
 At least 36 people, including the eight miners retrieved in Itogon, have died in typhoon-related incidents in the Philippines, mostly from landslides and collapsed houses. 
 
 Mangkhut made landfall on Saturday on the northeastern tip of Luzon island in the Philippines with sustained winds of 205 kilometers (127 mph) and gusts of 255 kph (158 mph). 
 
 The Philippines, which was battered by the typhoon on Saturday, appeared to have been spared the high number of casualties many had feared. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened villages and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines. A massive evacuation ahead of Mangkhut helped lessen potential casualties, with about 87,000 people evacuating from high-risk areas, officials said. 
 
 Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde told The Associated Press that 20 people had died in the Cordillera mountain region, four in nearby Nueva Vizcaya province and another outside of the two regions. Three more deaths were reported in northeastern Cagayan province, where the typhoon made landfall. 
 
 The typhoon struck at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in the Philippines' northern breadbasket, prompting farmers to scramble to save what they could of their crops, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines. Associated Press writers Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan in Tuguegarao, Philippines, and Gillian Wong in Beijing contributed to this report. ||||| Hong Kong (CNN) Hong Kong residents huddled indoors Sunday and strong winds sent debris flying as Typhoon Mangkhut, the world's strongest storm this year, carved a destructive and deadly path from the Philippines toward mainland China. 
 
 The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) raised the storm signal to T10 -- the highest level possible -- Sunday morning local time, with the city almost entirely shut down. 
 
 Fierce winds have already torn off roofs, smashed windows and downed trees in Hong Kong, as authorities warned of the threat of storm surges and flooding from torrential rain. 
 
 Mangkhut was recorded packing sustained winds of 173 kilometers per hour (107 miles per hour) and gusts up to 223 kilometers per hour (138 miles per hour) as the storm's eye passed south of the territory in the early afternoon, according to the HKO. 
 
 At 4 p.m. local time, the storm was 110 kilometers (68 miles) west-southwest of Hong Kong, and heading for the surrounding Pearl River Delta, home to 120 million people, the HKO reported later Sunday. Mangkhut was expected to make landfall sometime Sunday evening in southern mainland China. 
 
 Along the coast, the gambling enclave of Macau, which was hit hard by Super Typhoon Hato last August, closed all its casinos, and all fishing boats from China's Guangdong province have been called into port. 
 
 A shop owner is rescued by members of the fire brigade from a flooded area of Macau on Sunday. 
 
 
 
 
 
 On Saturday, it The storm is expected to be one for Hong Kong's record books. It's only the 15th time in the last 60 years that a storm has been classified as T10; the last was for Super Typhoon Hato last year.On Saturday, it plowed into the Philippines , flattening homes in small towns and villages on the northern island of Luzon. The presidential spokesperson for Rodrigo Duterte told reporters Sunday that 40 people had died. 
 
 Harry Roque said most of the deaths were due to landslides and mainly occurred in the Cordillera Administrative Region. 
 
 The official death toll complied by the Philippines disaster agency still stands at zero as it instituted a stringent criteria for associating deaths with storms following Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. 
 
 The region braces 
 
 Hong Kong's famed Victoria Harbor was hit with a storm surge of more than 3.9 meters (12.8 feet) above chart datum Sunday. Hong Kong's famous skyline, filled with massive buildings jutting up from the hill, was almost completely obscured as squalls roared through, however visibility has since improved. 
 
 More than 550 flights have been canceled at airports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and more than 200 have been delayed, according to Flightaware.com. Most of Hong Kong's public transport has been suspended. 
 
 Crane in Mong Kok spinning ominously as Hong Kong's typhoon warning raised to the highest level. #Mangkhut pic.twitter.com/iwXgEoDOY1 — Ben Westcott (@Ben_Westcott) September 16, 2018 
 
 Hong Kong authorities have been warning residents about the storm for days. On Saturday, grocery stores were packed with people stocking up on goods. Buildings across the city were either boarded up or had their windows taped in order to mitigate the damage of broken glass. 
 
 Other cities around the Pearl River Delta -- which includes Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macau -- are on high alert. 
 
 Guangzhou, the capital and most populous city in Guangdong province, issued its highest typhoon emergency alert, according People's Daily, a state-run media outlet. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated. Airports in Shenzhen, a technology hub across the border from Hong Kong, and on the resort island of Hainan have canceled all flights, according to Chinese state media. 
 
 Mangkhut slams into the Philippines 
 
 Mangkhut struck the northern Philippines as a super typhoon, causing flooding and landslides on the northern island of Luzon. 
 
 It made landfall in the Philippines Saturday at 1:40 a.m. local time, packing winds of up to 270 kph (165 mph), 120 kph (75 mph) stronger than Hurricane Florence that hit North Carolina 
 
 Known locally as Ompong, Mangkhut ripped roofs off buildings, uprooted trees, blocked roads with debris and dumped water on fields of crops. 
 
 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A man looks out of a damaged building in Hong Kong after Typhoon Manghkut. Hide Caption 1 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Evelyn Wigan wipes away a tear as she waits for news of missing relatives who were near the site of a deadly landslide in Itogon, Philippines. Hide Caption 2 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Rescuers in Itogon continue search operations on Wednesday, September 19. Dozens have been confirmed dead in the landslide, and dozens are still missing. Hide Caption 3 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Workers in Hong Kong clean up scaffolding that had been knocked down by the storm. Hide Caption 4 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A man holds an umbrella as he walks past fallen trees in Hong Kong on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 5 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A former school in the Hong Kong village of Shek O was destroyed by Typhoon Mangkhut. Hide Caption 6 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Rescue workers wade through floodwaters during a rescue operation in Macau on September 16. Hide Caption 7 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Huge waves surge in Shenzhen, China, on September 16. Hide Caption 8 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Rescuers evacuate areas in Macau. Hide Caption 9 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A taxi is left abandoned after breaking down in Hong Kong. Hide Caption 10 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Fierce winds and rain pierced this building in Hong Kong. The typhoon tore off roofs, downed trees and caused cranes to swing ominously. Hide Caption 11 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Rescuers assist a mother and her child after the deadly landslide in the Philippines. Hide Caption 12 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut The landslide scarred this hillside. Hide Caption 13 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Strong winds churn waves on Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. Hide Caption 14 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Hong Kong residents rest in a shelter on September 16. Hide Caption 15 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Rescue workers help a woman to cross a flooded street in the village of Lei Yu Mun, in Hong Kong on Sunday. Hide Caption 16 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A tree sits after falling onto a school bus in Hong Kong. Hide Caption 17 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Debris from houses destroyed by Typhoon Mangkhut lay scattered on the ground in Tuguegarao city in northeastern Philippines, on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 18 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Villagers look down an alleyway filled with seawater in Lei Yu Mun on Sunday. Hide Caption 19 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut People walk through a flooded shopping mall in Heng Fa Chuen district on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 20 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut People battle strong winds as they cross a street in China's Guangdong province on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 21 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Workers transfer sacks of grains from a toppled truck in northeastern Philippines on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 22 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A security guard wades across floodwaters in Heng Fa Chuen on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 23 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A fire rescue worker helps a child cross a flooded street in the village of Lei Yu Mun in Hong Kong. Hide Caption 24 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A policeman walks through makeshift tent shelters damaged by strong winds in Tuguegarao. Hide Caption 25 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A man takes a photograph as waves crash over a promenade in Hong Kong, on Sunday. Hide Caption 26 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Residents stand by a flooded road in Tuguegarao city in northeastern Philippines, on Saturday, September 15. Hide Caption 27 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A wave overwhelms a man as he tries to recover salvageable materials in Manila, Philippines, on Saturday, September 15. Hide Caption 28 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut An elderly man waits for a taxi as Typhoon Mangkhut edges closer to Hong Kong, on Sunday, September 16. Hide Caption 29 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut People pray inside of a temple ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Mangkhut in Sanhe village, China, on Saturday. Hide Caption 30 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Fishermen remove their boat from the water ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Mangkhut on the outskirts of Zhanjiang, China, on Saturday. Hide Caption 31 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Volunteers and police check on residents after Typhoon Mangkhut hit Tuguegarao, Philippines, on Saturday. Hide Caption 32 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A family shares a meal by flashlight inside a temporary evacuation center after electricity was shut off following the onslaught of Typhoon Mangkhut in the city of Tuguegarao, Philippines, on Saturday. Hide Caption 33 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut An elderly Filipino woman copes in the typhoon-hit town of Aparri, Philippines, on September 15. Hide Caption 34 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Members of a family survey their heavily damaged home in Alcala, Philippines, on September 15. Hide Caption 35 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A basketball hoop is toppled in Tuguegarao City, Philippines, on September 15. Hide Caption 36 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Philippine soldiers help a man with a sick child after fallen electric poles blocked an ambulance transporting them in Baggao, a town north of Manila, on September 15. Hide Caption 37 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A woman weeps as she describes her family's experiences during the typhoon in Baggao on September 15. Hide Caption 38 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Crews work to clear a road of debris in Baggao on September 15. Hide Caption 39 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Motorists negotiate a flooded street in Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 40 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Children collect recyclable materials washed ashore in Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 41 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A motorist tries to avoid the flooding in Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 42 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Residents make their way through destroyed stalls at a public market in Tuguegarao City on September 15. Hide Caption 43 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Commuters push a car through floodwaters in Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 44 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Motorists push their motor bikes through a flooded street in Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 45 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Commuters brave the elements in Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 46 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Strong winds and rain batter buildings in Tuguegarao City on September 15. Hide Caption 47 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Street sweepers go about their daily business as rain and strong winds pound Manila on September 15. Hide Caption 48 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Guests sleep inside a hotel restaurant after strong winds damaged the roof of their room in Tuguegarao City on September 15. Hide Caption 49 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Heavy rain falls in Tuguegarao City on Friday, September 14. Hide Caption 50 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Officials conduct a patrol in Aparri ahead of the typhoon on September 14. Hide Caption 51 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A satellite image shows the width and trajectory of Mangkhut as it approaches the Philippines on September 14. Hide Caption 52 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A farmer gathers his herd of cows to a safe place as the typhoon nears Tuguegarao City on September 14. Hide Caption 53 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Fishermen secure a boat in Aparri before the storm arrives on September 14. Hide Caption 54 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Villagers from Aparri cut tree branches on September 14 in preparation for the massive storm. Hide Caption 55 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut An evacuee rests inside an evacuation center in Tuguegarao City on September 14. Hide Caption 56 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A volunteer moves through relief goods September 14 as Tuguegarao prepares for the typhoon's arrival. Hide Caption 57 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Residential buildings in Hong Kong are reflected in a McDonald's restaurant window, taped in preparation for Typhoon Mangkhut, on September 14. Hong Kong and Macau are currently in the typhoon's path. Hide Caption 58 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Workers lay sandbags at the waterfront of the Lei Yue Mun area of Hong Kong on September 14. Hide Caption 59 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut People secure the roof of a house in Tuguegarao on September 14. Hide Caption 60 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut A worker steps over sandbags ahead of the typhoon's arrival in Hong Kong on September 14. Hide Caption 61 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Fishermen work amid the rough seas near Aparri on September 14. Hide Caption 62 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives for a government briefing on the typhoon at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council in Quezon City on Thursday, September 13. Hide Caption 63 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Duterte, second from left, observes the disaster agency's operation center in action in Manila on September 13. Hide Caption 64 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut High-rises are visible above choppy waters in Hong Kong's Wan Chai District on Wednesday, September 12. Hide Caption 65 of 66 Photos: In photos: Typhoon Mangkhut Sailors remove debris on a US naval base in Guam on Tuesday, September 11, after the typhoon swept through the island territory , causing flooding and power outages. Hide Caption 66 of 66 
 
 More than 250,000 people were affected by the storm across the country, with around half of those seeking shelter in evacuation centers in the country's north. 
 
 Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will head to the region Sunday to see the damage and recovery operations, presidential Palace Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told CNN. 
 
 The most severe damage came in Luzon's north, a sparsely populated region that's considered the breadbasket of the Philippines, though areas as far away as Manila -- more than 340 km (200 miles) from the eye of the storm -- were hit with heavy rains that caused flooding in urban areas. 
 
 As of Saturday, the storm had caused 51 landslides in the Philippines' north. Search crews are looking for people reported missing in the mountainous Cordillera region, Political Affairs Secretary Francis Tolentino said. 
 
 Though the storm system has moved on, extent of the damage has been difficult to assess Sunday as fierce winds were replaced by flood waters, blocking access and aid to affected areas. A vital transportation hub in the region, Tuguegarao airport in northern Luzon, was damaged in the storms, according to the Department of Transportation, forcing the cancellation of more than 100 local and international flights. 
 
 Mangkhut is expected to make another landfall late Sunday night, hitting the Chinese province of Guangdong near the cities of Yangjiang and Zhanjiang. 
 
 From there the system will continue to move westward and will rain itself out over northern Vietnam, which could lead to some flooding there early next week.
– Typhoon Mangkhut, which CNN labels "the world's strongest storm this year," barreled into southern China on Sunday after lashing the northern Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that left at least 36 people dead and dozens more feared buried in a landslide. Ahead of the massive typhoon, nearly half a million people had been evacuated from seven cities in China's Guangdong province, the gambling enclave of Macau closed casinos for the first time, and the Hong Kong Observatory warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark, where storm surges battered the sandbag-reinforced waterfront. Mangkhut made landfall in the city of Taishan, reports the AP, packing wind speeds of 100mph. Authorities in southern China issued a red alert, the most severe warning, as the national meteorological center said the densely populated region would face a "severe test caused by wind and rain." On Sunday morning, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 96mph and gusts of up to 118mph. The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls. Hundreds of flights were canceled. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co. said. In Hong Kong, a video posted by residents showed the top corner of an old building break and fall off while in another video, a tall building swayed as winds blew. The storm also broke windows, felled trees, tore bamboo scaffolding off buildings under construction, and flooded areas with sometimes waist-high waters, per the South China Morning Post. The paper said heavy rains brought storm surges of 10 feet around Hong Kong.