Haiyan continued to intensify; at 12:00 UTC on November 7, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded the storm's maximum ten-minute sustained winds to a peak of 230 km/h (143 mph).

[5] Haiyan is also tied with Meranti in 2016, Goni in 2020 and Surigae in 2021 as the most intense tropical cyclone in the Eastern Hemisphere by 1-minute sustained winds; several others have recorded lower central pressure readings.

[9] Tracking generally westward along the southern periphery of a subtropical ridge,[11] rapid intensification ensued by November 5 as a central dense overcast with an embedded eye developing; the JMA classified Haiyan as a typhoon later that day.

[12] Intensification slowed somewhat during the day, though the JTWC estimated the storm to have attained Category 5-equivalent super typhoon status on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) around 12:00 UTC.

[17] The JTWC's unofficial estimate of one-minute sustained winds of 305 km/h (190 mph) would, by that measure, make Haiyan the most powerful storm ever recorded to strike land.

[24] Rapid weakening ensued as Haiyan approached its final landfall in Vietnam,[25] ultimately moving ashore in the country near Haiphong around 21:00 UTC, as a severe tropical storm.

[15] Shortly before Haiyan entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on November 6, PAGASA raised Public Storm Warning Signal (PSWS) No.1, the lowest of four levels, for much of the Visayas and Mindanao.

[62] By April 17, 2016, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed 6,300 fatalities across the country, 5,902 of those taking place in the Eastern Visayas.

[71] For several days following Haiyan's first landfall, the damage situation in the fishing town remained unclear due to lack of communication in and out of the area.

[73] Prior to this, a local priest was able to take his motorbike from Guiuan to the cities of Catbalogan and Calbayog (also in Samar) armed with photos of the devastation, shot on his mobile phone.

[68] Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas said the scale of the relief operation that was now required was overwhelming, with some places described as a wasteland of mud and debris.

[90] Haiyan tossed up large car-sized boulders, the heaviest of them weighing 180 tons, onto Calicoan Island in Eastern Samar, of which a few were carried uphill 10 m (33 ft).

[123] In the coastal community of Guiuan, which took the full brunt of the typhoon, Mayor Christopher Gonzalez is credited with saving countless lives after he incessantly urged residents to evacuate.

[127] During his presidency in mid-2017, Rodrigo Duterte created the IATF-Yolanda—an inter-agency task force to monitor and implement the government's rehabilitation programs in Haiyan-affected areas—[128] later extending the agency's term until the end of his tenure.

[138] Philippine military forces also prevented members of the New People's Army from ambushing a relief convoy bound for Samar in Matnog, Sorsogon, killing two.

[142][143] Up until November 12, five days after the typhoon struck, survivors continued to struggle with basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter while remote towns in Leyte and Samar were yet to be reached by aid.

[145] Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said that the national government had to take over despite logistical challenges and assured it is working toward providing aid the quickest way possible to the survivors.

[149][150][151] The Aquino administration was also criticized for its inefficient distribution of funds and several government officials were accused of embezzling the money allotted for the typhoon victims.

[153][154] As President Aquino III stepped down from office in June 2016, his administration failed to release ₱20 billion housing assistance funds for the typhoon victims.

[157] In November 2018, the National Economic and Development Authority confirmed that the budget is under the 2016 "Yolanda" Recovery & Reconstruction Program that "remained untapped & were not released" until the expiration of the validity of the funds last December 31, 2017, during President Duterte's second year in office;[158] an environmental group criticized the Duterte administration's decision to divert ₱5 billion funds for Haiyan housing to rebuild war-torn Marawi.

Unknown numbers of survivors do not have basic necessities such as food, water, and medicines and remain inaccessible for relief operations, as roads, airports, and bridges were destroyed or covered in wreckage.

[259] American band Journey donated $350,000 to help relief efforts in the Philippines, and its lead singer had a message for his homeland: "Don't Stop Believin'".

[266] Medical Doctors in global health like Edmond Fernandes who worked in service of the people of Philippines recalled that broken hearts and shattered dreams existed everywhere with widespread devastation.

[278] International Responders for Emergencies and Disasters endured the storm and despite losing equipment and personnel, they contributed to over $100,000 in aid and supplied rescuer workers for 3 months.

[280] The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), the largest indigenous Christian church based in the Philippines held a series of massive relief distributions and medical and dental missions to affected population of the storm to different parts of Visayas.

[281] The humanitarian mission was done under the "Lingap sa Mamamayan" (Aid for Humanity) project in cooperation with the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation Inc., the INC's charitable arm.

[292] On November 26, iTunes released a compilation album entitled Songs for the Philippines featuring different artists, including Katy Perry, Madonna, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles.

[298][299] On the day of his death, actor Paul Walker attended a charity event for his organization, Reach Out Worldwide, for the victims of the typhoon that was held right before his accident.

[304][305] Fox News initially criticized China for its contribution of US$100,000 cash each from the government and the Chinese Red Cross to the typhoon victims, which led to commentary about its disputes with the Philippines.

[313][311] An article in the journal Social Medicine said this was part of the "Asia pivot" that the United States government had previously announced, a foreign policy strategy it viewed as a plan to contain China, encircle it militarily, and prevent it from competing with American political influence in the region.