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　　Weather forecasters say Typhoon Haiyan could make landfall in the country on Sunday.

　　Vietnamese authorities have evacuated¹ several hundred thousand people from coastal² areas, where the storm's outer bands are already causing high winds and rough seas.

　　In the Philippines, Super Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, made landfall Friday as one of the most powerful storms on record, with maximum sustained winds of about 300 kilometers an hour, sending waves up to five meters high crashing through island communities.

　　Officials say 138 people are confirmed dead, but the Philippine Red Cross says the actual death toll³ may be more than 1,200.  Rescuers are sifting⁴ through rubble⁵ to try to reach victims.

　　Relief workers estimated that many of the dead are on the hard-hit island of Leyte.

　　Philippine interior secretary Mar⁶ Roxas says it is difficult to describe the extent of damage in Leyte's capital, Tacloban.

　　"The devastation⁷ is — I do not have the words for it. It is really horrific. It is a great human tragedy. There is no power. There is no light."

　　On Saturday, Tacloban residents wept as they recounted losing loved ones. Others appeared dazed. Bodies lay in the streets, covered in sheets and bags. People also began looting stores, looking for food to survive or carrying away household appliances.

　　U.N. emergency relief coordinator⁸ Valerie Amos said a U.N. disaster and assessment⁹ team that had been deployed¹⁰ to Tacloban found "scenes of total devastation." It said roads from the airport to the city of 200,000 people were impassable, leaving helicopters as the only means of travel.

　　The U.N. team leader Sebastian Rhodes Stampa said the last time he saw destruction on such a scale was in the aftermath of the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami¹¹.

　　Separately, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered his condolences to the Philippines, saying he was deeply saddened by the "extensive loss of life."

　　A U.S. relief team has been deployed to the region. The U.S. Agency for International Development says the team will conduct damage assessments¹², track conditions and "advise on additional needs."

　　The U.S. has also made $100,000 available for relief supplies, and the World Food Program is providing emergency assistance to government agencies that are helping¹³ victims.

　　Typhoon Haiyan weakened after crossing the Philippines but regained¹⁴ some strength as it began moving westward¹⁵ over the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

　　Haiyan's new projected path also puts the southern Chinese island of Hainan at risk of strong winds and heavy rain. The Chinese government issued an alert to local authorities to prepare for flooding and called fishing boats back to port.

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