According to authorities in the Philippines, more than 600,000 people who lived in low-lying villages or areas prone to landslides had left their homes for evacuation centers by Saturday.

"We're prepared but still fearful, we haven't finished repairing our house, it still has tarpaulin patches and here comes another storm," Teresita Aban, a resident of Samar province which was hard-hit by Haiyan, told news agency Reuters.

Thousands of people crammed into shelters set up at schools, churches and community centers. Nearly 100 domestic flights were cancelled Saturday.

A UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction spokesman in Geneva, Dennis McLean, said it was one of the largest peacetime evacuations ever seen.

Though the typhoon was due to make landfall Saturday evening or early Sunday local time, strong wind, rain and floods were already being reported on Saturday.

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman told news agency AFP that the rains and winds could impact 50 million people, or half the country's population.

Ferocious winds

Typhoon Hagupit, a name which in the Filipino language means smash, strike, lash or whip, had been downgraded to a notch below super typhoon category. it is also known as typhoon Ruby.

The storm was expected to unleash sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour (115 miles per hour) and gusts of up to 220 kph (137 mph). Storm surges of up to about 5 meters (15 feet) were expected.

International aid agencies were among those readying their response to the typhoon, especially in areas which are still recovering from super typhoon Haiyan.

"We are concerned that these households will be less able to cope with potential impacts of typhoon Hagupit on their homes and their livelihoods," Oxfam country director Justin Morgan said.

The Philippines last month marked the one-year anniversary of Haiyan, which left more than 7000 people dead or missing and damaged or destroyed the homes of 4 million people.

Vulnerable to storms, earthquakes and volcanoes, the Philippines is often plagued by natural disasters. On average the country endures about 20 major storms each year.

se/mg (dpa, AP, AFP, Reuters)