Storm leaves Philippines after killing 27

A giant storm left the Philippines today after killing at least 27 people and devastating remote coastal towns, but the government won praise for unprecedented preparations that were credited for saving lives.
Hagupit hit the far eastern island of Samar on Saturday with winds of 210 kilometres an hour, making it the most powerful typhoon in the Philippines this year and threatening widespread destruction.
Most of the 27 people reported by the Red Cross to have been killed were on Samar, one of the nation's poorest islands where thousands of homes in fishing communities facing the Pacific Ocean were torn apart.

In San Julian, a tiny farming and fishing town on Samar, mother-of-four Rosario Organo sat with a daughter in front of their ruined bamboo and palm thatch home today.
"My only wish is that my family could get a good night's sleep," Organo, 41, told AFP as neighbours sifted through the debris of their destroyed houses to start rebuilding, using salvaged material.
In San Julian and neighbouring coastal towns, Hagupit's winds had snapped coconut trees and power lines, cutting off roads and making the delivery of supplies difficult.

The military flew emergency flights with food, water and other essentials from Cebu to the worst-affected areas on Samar today.

Interior Minister Manuel Roxas said 200,000 people were believed to be in need of help on eastern Samar, but this could rise as more comprehensive assessments were carried out in isolated communities.
"It breaks my heart to hear their stories," Roxas said in an interview with local television network ABS CBN.
"All we can do is give them physical support, moral support, give them food and hope we can give back their spirits so they can rise again.