The economic cost of Super Typhoon Haiyan is expected to be the highest from a natural disaster in the Philippines’ history, although only a small portion of it is expected to be insured, AIR Worldwide reported in its latest advisory on Sunday.

The scale of the devastation revealed in its wake continues to escalate in the three days since the storm roared through the central Philippines making six landfalls in the country, AIR Worldwide said.

Sustained winds were estimated at 315 km/h (196 mph) at its first landfall, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

According to AIR, there is still a significant amount of uncertainty regarding the storm’s actual intensity at landfall, but if the wind speed at landfall estimate from the JTWC holds true, Haiyan would be the strongest recorded cyclone to make landfall anywhere in the world.

Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall on the southern tip of Samar Island early morning local time on November 8.

The national meteorological agency, PAGASA, reports that Haiyan made a total of six landfalls through the Visayas region before exiting into the South China Sea.

AIR notes that the full extent of catastrophic destruction wrought by the storm’s winds and massive storm surge will not be known for some time. Power, communications, and water supply remain down throughout the affected region, and officials have yet to reach remote areas cut off by blocked roads, landslides, and floods.

Ahead of the Haiyan, PAGASA’s storm surge prediction project, named NOAH, forecast maximum storm tides (normal tide level plus storm surge) of more than 15 feet near the region of landfall.

According to AIR, precipitation totals of 350 mm were observed by NASA’s TRMM satellite, although higher amounts may ultimately be recorded by rain gauges as communication and power come back online. Haiyan’s rapid forward motion kept totals from being even higher, but some inland flooding has likely occurred.

According to AIR, the storm made its initial landfall in the city of Guiuan (population of 47,000) in Eastern Samar province. Preliminary reports from a Philippines Air Force reconnaissance flight indicate that all structures in the city were either destroyed or sustained significant damage, including a newly installed PAGASA Doppler radar.

Trees were uprooted, cars overturn, and debris is strewn about the devastated city.

Tacloban City, the capital and biggest city (population of 220,000) of Leyte province, also bore the brunt of the storm’s ravages, as it was located just north of the storm’s track, where the highest winds and surge are expected. Fierce winds lasted for several hours and were comparable to those of an EF-3/EF-4 tornado.

Eyewitness and video accounts indicate that a storm tide of at least 10 feet inundated the downtown area.

Leaves were stripped from trees, power lines were snapped, and buildings were flattened over a widespread area. According to some reports, not a single building in the city appears to have survived intact. The storm surge is believed to be the most significant cause of damage and casualties.

According to official government reports, more than 2 million families (nearly 10 million people) have been affected by the storm in the Philippines.

The islands of Leyte, Samar, and northern Cebu are the worst affected.

Relief efforts from both national and international agencies are underway, but damage to infrastructure, including to roads and airport, are hindering operations.

According to AIR, after leaving the Philippines, Haiyan entered the cooler waters of the South China Sea where it gradually weakened. On Nov. 10, Haiyan was reportedly making landfall in northern Vietnam with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 108 km/h (67 mph).

While much-reduced wind speeds are not expected to cause significant structural damage, heavy precipitation poses a major threat of flooding and landslides in both Vietnam and China.

China has issued a typhoon alert for Hainan Island and the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Source: AIR Worldwide