Powerful winds and heavy rain from Super Typhoon #LeonPH battered Batanes, toppling rooftops, causing landslides, and damaging one of the province’s oldest churches.

Video footage from inside the Batanes Provincial Police Office captures the intense winds, which howled through doors and windows secured against the storm.

Landslides were reported in Sabtang and Ivana, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

Despite the weather, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) teams cleared roads of soil and debris to maintain access.

In Itbayat, part of the historic Santa Maria de Mayan Church, one of the oldest in the area, was damaged by the storm.

High waves and fierce winds also struck Sabtang early morning on Thursday, October 31, 2024, with trees bending in the gusts.

Amid power outages, evacuees at the Basco Cathedral Pastoral Center gathered for a mass, praying for safety as Super Typhoon #LeonPH continued its onslaught overnight.

#LeonPH passed near Batanes on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, where Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 5 was hoisted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) at around 11 p.m.

TCWS No. 5 is the highest wind signal by PAGASA, which means extremely strong winds, over 220 km/h, are expected and could cause severe damage to structures, uproot trees, and pose significant risks to life and property.