Philippines Braces for Typhoon Hagupit

Just a year after Typhoon Haiyan left the residents of Philippines devastated, another superstorm - Typhoon Hagupit - is threatening to wreak havoc over the country.

The Typhoon Hagupit or Ruby is gathering strength and gusts up to 250 km per hour. It is expected to hit the land Saturday evening.

People of the region are bracing for the typhoon as the military is on high alert and tens of thousands of people were evacuated Friday.

According to NBC News, Typhoon Hagupit was about 620 miles east-southeast of Manila Thursday 10 p.m. ET. It is on course for the Eastern and Northern Samar provinces as well as the city of Tacloban. Last year, thousands were killed by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban.

"This storm is not going to be quite as strong as Haiyan, but the probability is it has the potential to impact some of the same areas that were impacted last year," said Ari Sarsalari, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel.

Sarsalari further warns: "This is definitely the type of situation that can get very ugly."

Haiyan, which was known as Yolanda in Philippines, killed more than 7,000 people in the the country in November 2013 and left more than 4 million homeless, BBC reports.

In Philippines, Hagupit means "smash". Even though a Japan's Meteorological agency states that it is very violent, the typhoon is not expected to be as destructive as Haiyan. However, heavy rain and the risk of landslides that Hagupit will bring with it might harm many in the region.  

Thousands of residents of Tacloban have taken shelter in a sports stadium.

"We've learned our lesson from Yolanda. Everyone here is gripped with fear," Rita Villadolid, 39, told AFP news agency from inside the stadium. "