Mega Typhoon Rips Philippines

Furious 140 mph "Super Typhoon" Megi has slammed into the Philippines as thousands of residents huddle in shelters and steel themselves for massive flooding, landslides, and damage to crops, homes and power lines. Forecasters warned that waves off the east coast of the beleaguered nation could hit 46 feet. One man, a candidate in a local election, was already reported missing in a fast-moving river.

Farmers had been urged to harvest as many crops as possible ahead of the storm, which is striking in a major rice-production territory. Some 1,000 Filipinos died in a typhoon four years ago, and Megi is believed to be nearly as strong a storm. Thousands of troops were standing by with emergency supplies. "This is like preparing for war," the head of the emergency response team told AP. (More Megi stories.)