Typhoon Usagi in the northern Philippines has dumped massive amounts of rain in the region, knocking out power, sweeping away houses and bridges and displacing thousands of people since it made landfall Thursday afternoon. Thousands of people were evacuated before the typhoon’s arrival, but no deaths have been reported so far.

The fifth major storm in three weeks is approaching the Philippines, prompting more largescale evacuations and a United Nations request for emergency funds to help the government ease the plight of hard-hit villagers.

Typhoon Usagi weakened sharply on Friday after bearing down on the Philippines' northern towns, blowing away houses in its path as authorities brace for another storm that could hit the capital Manila over the weekend.