Super Typhoon Fung-wong, the biggest storm to threaten the Philippines this year, started battering the country’s northeastern coast ahead of landfall on Sunday.

Its strong winds knocked down power, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and prompted the defense chief to warn millions to evacuate to safety from high-risk villages before it was too late.

More than 916,860 people were evacuated from high-risk villages in northeastern provinces, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

The defense secretary, who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung-wong on Saturday.

He said it could affect a vast expanse of the country, including Cebu, the central province hit hardest by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region which is the seat of power and the country’s financial center.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defense said.

The defense secretary asked people to follow orders by officials to immediately move away from villages and towns prone to flash floods, landslides and coastal tidal surges.

Packing winds of up to 185 kph (115 mph) and gusts of up to 230 kph (143 mph), the typhoon was spotted by government forecasters early on Sunday about 125 kilometers (78 miles) northeast of the town of Virac in Catanduanes province.

Fung-wong, which is called Uwan in the Philippines, was expected to track northwestward and make landfall on the coast of Aurora or Isabela province later on Sunday or early Monday, state forecasters said.

They predicted the typhoon could end up covering two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago with its 1,600-kilometer- (994-mile-) wide rain and wind band.

The super typhoon approached from the Pacific while the Philippines was still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which left at least 204 people dead in central island provinces on Tuesday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected calamity from Fung-wong.