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Mai Zamora from the charity World Vision said "galvanised iron sheets were flying just like kites"
Typhoon Haiyan is battering the central Philippines with sustained winds of up to 320 km/h (199mph).
Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall.
The storm has forced millions to seek shelter in 20 provinces and at least three people have died, officials say.
The region was already struggling to recover from a powerful earthquake last month.
The authorities have warned that more than 12 million people are at risk from the storm - the equivalent of a category five hurricane.
It has so far lashed central islands including Leyte and Samar, and the northern tip of Cebu - including Cebu city, the country's second largest with a population of 2.5 million.
The Philippines has experienced more than its fair share of super typhoons over the past decade, according to experts. There were at least three of these powerful events in nine of the 10 years between 2002 and 2012.
The islands are unlucky, scattered along the world's most active typhoon belt where plentiful supplies of warm water and moist air provide the energy to kick start super storms.
Despite these factors, Haiyan has shown a number of unusual features which have increased its strength. Normally the walls of the storm that rotate around the eye are replaced as it moves, often weakening the wind speed. In the case of Haiyan this hasn't happened.
Another factor has been the speed of this typhoon. Going so quickly, it hasn't stirred up the waters ahead of it. Slower storms churn up the waters, causing an upwelling of colder water that usually takes the energy from the storm.
However Haiyan has now lost energy over land and is expected to move on to Vietnam as a Category 3 Typhoon in the next few days.
Two people were electrocuted in storm-related incidents and another was killed after being struck by lightning, according to officials. Seven others were reported injured.
Reports say power and communications have been almost completely lost in Samar, Leyte and Bohol, and it is impossible to know the full extent of damage and casualties.
The storm - known locally as Yolanda - was not expected to directly hit the capital Manila, more than 600km (370 miles) to the north.
Mai Zamora, from the charity World Vision, in Cebu, told the BBC: "The wind here is whistling. It's so strong and the heavy downpours are continuing."
"We've been hearing from my colleagues in [the city of] Tacloban that they've seen galvanised iron sheets flying just like kites."
Schools and offices closed, while ferry services and local flights were suspended. Hospitals and soldiers are on stand-by for rescue and relief operations.
The governor of the Southern Leyte province, Roger Mercado, tweeted on Friday morning that fallen trees were blocking roads, hampering the emergency effort.
Roxane Sombise, a resident of Tacloban, in Leyte, told the BBC: "I think our house is actually shaking... I just want it to stop."
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The BBC's Jon Donnison said up to a million people have been forced to leave their homes
Protestant pastor Diosdado Casera in Surigao City in north-east Mindanao said the city had missed the worst of the storm but there was a lot of damage.
"The storm was very strong - although Surigao City was not directly hit we experienced its fury early this morning," he said.
"The big buildings made of concrete were fine, but the houses made of wood and shingles and plywood have suffered a lot of damage, mainly to their roof."
A spokesperson for the British Red Cross, Nichola Jones, who is in Tagbilaran in Bohol, says the typhoon had cut power and torn off roof tiles, but was "not too bad".
"But I think to the North - that's the area that has borne the brunt. Those were the areas worst hit by the earthquake last month."
In the worst-hit areas of Samar and Leyte, she says there are reports of collapsed buildings, including a hotel.
"In Cebu they have had quite a battering and I spoke to our colleagues and they've had quite strong winds and are locked down in their hotels. They are waiting to see what the situation is."
Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private firm Weather Underground, said in a blog post that the damage from Haiyan's winds must have been "perhaps the greatest wind damage any city on Earth has endured from a tropical cyclone in the past century".
Relief packages
State meteorologist Romeo Cajulis told AFP news agency Typhoon Haiyan had made landfall over Guiuan at 04:40 local time (20:40 GMT on 7 November).
The typhoon arrived with gusts of up to 275 km/h (170 mph), the Philippines' weather service said in its bulletin, issued at 05:00 local time (21:00 GMT).
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Jay Wynne tracks the path of Typhoon Haiyan
The US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, which typically gives higher readings as they are based on a shorter period of time, said shortly before Haiyan's landfall that its maximum sustained winds were up to 314 km/h (195 mph), with gusts up to 379 km/h (235 mph).
Former BBC Manila correspondent Kate McGeown says that, while the country is better prepared than for previous storms, it is not clear whether even buildings being used as storm shelters can withstand these winds.
Waves as high as 15m (45ft) could be seen around the coast, and there was 400mm (15.75 inches) of rain in places.
The storm is forecast to move over to the South China Sea north of Palawan Island on Saturday, meteorologists say.
In its path are areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.
About 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake, which killed more than 200 people.
Earlier, President Benigno Aquino warned people to leave storm-prone areas and urged seafarers to stay in port.
Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Bopha in 2012, which devastated parts of the southern Philippines and left at least 1,000 people dead.
It is the 25th tropical storm to enter Philippine territory this year.
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