Typhoon Nina leaves the Philippines

Powerful Typhoon Nina, locally known as Typhoon Nock-Ten, swept across the Philippines over the holiday weekend, forcing people to celebrate Christmas in evacuation centers.

The eye of the storm passed just south of Manila before moving out to the South China Sea. At its peak, it sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) with gusts up to 225 kilometers per hour, according to the Philippines state weather bureau. 

There were more than 380,000 people in evacuation centers on Monday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Many people did not want to go to the shelters but instead to stay home and celebrate Christmas.  

Path of destruction

The storm cut off power to millions, and severely damaged or destroyed homes in communities around the Philippines. Officials in Albay province declared a "state of calamity" on Sunday in order to secure a faster distribution of emergency funds. Entire towns in the Bicol province were evacuated while streets and farms were under ankle-deep water and some homes are caked in mud following the flooding.

At least four people died as a result of the typhoon. A couple perished in a flood and another person was crushed by a falling wall in the Albay province, the governor told local media. Three people were electrocuted when a power line fell on them. An anchored ferry went down off the province of Batangas on Monday, with eight crewmen still missing, according to a coast guard officer.

It was one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines since Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Haiyan killed thousands and displaced millions.

Typhoons are common in the Philippines, but unusual in late December. About 20 typhoons strike the Philippines each year. The island nation has been hit by seven typhoons on previous Christmas Days since 1945.

kbd/jm (AP, AFP, dpa)