PHILIPPINES-WEATHER-TYPHOON

Philippine Coast Guard personnel prepare to carry relief goods for victims of Typhoon Bopha in New Bataan, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines, on board a ship in Manila on December 6, 2012. A quarter million people were homeless and 477 confirmed dead after the Philippines' worst typhoon this year, officials said Thursday, as the government appealed for international help. Typhoon Bopha ploughed across Mindanao island on Tuesday, flattening whole towns in its path as hurricane-force winds brought torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides. AFP PHOTO / JAY DIRECTO (Photo credit should read JAY DIRECTO/AFP via Getty Images)