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 storm

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.

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.