1984: Typhoon batters Philippines

At least 1,300 people have died and hundreds more have been injured after the worst storm in living memory swept across the southern Philippines. Wind speeds of up to 185 kmh (115 mph) left a trail of destruction as Typhoon Ike hit the Surigao del Norte province in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Officials fear that many more may have died since the storms started two days ago. Dozens are still missing and over 20,000 people are reported to be homeless. The high winds have also uprooted hundreds of coconut trees - devastating the area's staple crop. Refused outside help The governor of the island, Rolando Geotina, described the trees as the "lifeline of the people" and said "it will be years before they recover." The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, has announced he has set aside $4,000,000 (£3,060,000) for relief work, but has so far refused offers of outside help. This disaster follows another typhoon which hit the Philippines earlier in the year. The two storms have affected 2.4 million Filipinos.