Typhoon Koppu has made landfall in northeastern Philippines - destroying houses, toppling trees, knocking out power lines, and displacing tens of thousands of people.
The category four typhoon, with winds of 175kph, blew ashore at around 1am local time near the town of Casiguran in Aurora province.
There have been no reports of casualties so far.
"We expect some damages on public infrastructure and agriculture," said Norma Talosig, regional disaster agency head in rice-producing Cagayan Valley.
Toppled electric posts and trees were making it hard for emergency workers to reach isolated communities.
Authorities said 30 flights and ferry services in the north were grounded. Some bus services have been suspended because of the threat of landslides.
Around 10,000 people have been evacuated in the typhoon's path, including in towns prone to flash floods and landslides and coastal villages at risk from storm surges, officials said.
Forecasters predict Koppu will remain over the main northern island of Luzon for three days due to a high pressure in the north and another typhoon in the northwest Pacific.
The centre of the storm is moving west at a speed of just 3kpm, slow for a typhoon.
"It has slowed almost to a crawl. We're hoping it would speed up and spare us sooner," said Alexander Pama, who heads the government's main disaster agency.
On Friday, President Benigno Aquino appealed on television to people not to panic and to make preparations.
The last time Mr Aquino made a televised appeal was in 2013, the day before super typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, killing over 6,300 people and leaving millions homeless.
An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year.
