Typhoon Usagi has swamped rural villages in floods, knocked down power and displaced thousands more people before blowing away from the northern Philippines, which has been pounded by five major storms in less than a month.

Typhoon Usagi struck the northern Philippines on Thursday afternoon, the fifth powerful storm to impact the country in three weeks, with the system set to swing north and move toward Taiwan.

The fifth major storm in three weeks slammed into the northeastern Philippines on Thursday, prompting more largescale evacuations and a United Nations call for emergency funds to help the government address the plight of hard-hit rural villagers.