Typhoons in the Philippines
You may have heard of the many typhoons that have hit the Philippines and have caused major destruction and havoc. They have been hit with storms and floods, one after another, and are in their own battle to protect the land and people. These conditions aren’t going to get better anytime soon. Let’s look deeper into the past of these wild cyclones and reflect on the disastrous effects on the communities in the Philippines and compare it to the present.
Why is this an ongoing disaster?
The Philippines is located on the Pacific Typhoon Belt, making it a disaster-prone country. The Pacific Ocean experiences many volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, high winds, and warm air currents- perfect for a typhoon to form. With that, winds start to rotate and pick up speed intensely, generating winds over 75 miles per hour, heavy rain storms, and thunderstorms.
Typhoon season in the Philippines is around June to November every year (may vary).
Typhoon Megi (2010)
October of 2010, Typhoon Megi, also known as Typhoon Juan in the Philippines was the strongest typhoon recorded. This typhoon managed to reach up to 185 miles per hour, resulting in 69 deaths, 4 missing, and up to 709 million dollars (USD) in damages. The storm surges had major effects on farmers, workers, families, and the whole population overall.
Typhoon Haiyan (2013)
In 2013, the worst typhoon to ever hit the Philippines is the Haiyan Typhoon. Known commonly as Typhoon Yolanda, it is a super typhoon (category 3 storm) that sustained winds of more than 150 miles per hour. Destroying anything and everything in its way, it affected more than 14 million people, killing approximately 6,000 lives, misplacing approximately 1,800 others, ruined 1.1 million houses, destroyed a lot of agriculture; including as many as 33 million coconut trees, and disrupted many workers. All these effects resulted in 5.8 million dollars (USD) of damages! Unfortunately, the Philippines was hit with an earthquake a few weeks prior and were still trying to heal from the damage.
Typhoon Meranti (2016)
September of 2016, Typhoon Meranti, commonly known as Typhoon Ferdie in the Philippines hit the country. It sustained winds of 190 miles per hour, making it the strongest in the world in 2016. It hit the Batanes Islands with heavy rainfall, strong winds, and large floods, resulting in 30 deaths (totalled with other countries affected as well), many missing, and almost 5 billion dollars (USD) of damages. The storm surge had many effects on the communities; including damaged crops and agriculture, higher poverty rates, lasting effects, and a slow economic and environmental regrowth.
Typhoon Goni (2020)
November of 2020, Typhoon Goni, also known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Rolly, reached up to 195 miles per hour, making it one of the strongest typhoons (category 5) to ever hit. Rolly left at least 20 dead, impacted over two million people, misplaced thousands of others, and left a total of 415 million dollars (USD) in damages. Many were forced to evacuate their homes because of the dangerous and unbearable conditions. These conditions included: floods, landslides, heavy rainfall, and high wind speeds.
On top of the typhoon, the Philippines at the time was dealing with a high number of Covid-19 cases, which served as quite a challenge, especially when evacuating the communities and putting them close together in shelters.
Typhoon VAMCO (2020)
In November of 2020, Typhoon VAMCO, also known as Typhoon Ulysses in the Philippines touched down in the Philippines (and many other countries) reaching winds of 135 miles per hour. Classified as a category 4 typhoon, Typhoon Ulysses created major storm surges, floods, landslides, and destroyed livelihood. Ulysses killed approximately 67 people and displaced/injured many others.
Not to mention, the Covid-19 pandemic has proved reconstruction a difficult task and putting people in shelter can cause a major concern and risk. Unfortunately, the Philippines had 440 millions dollars (USD) in damages.
Typhoons today:
Typhoons have unfortunately gravitated for the worst due to global warming and the Covid-19 pandemic and the Philippines will still be considered a disaster prone country with natural disasters constantly threatening their environment, economy, and population.
Sources:
“Philippines Natural Disaster Information and Safety Advice for Travelers.” Philippines Visa, 13 May 2020, www.philippinesvisa.com/natural-disaster-information/.
Reid, Kathryn. “2013 Typhoon Haiyan: Facts, FAQs, and How to Help.” World Vision, 5 June 2020, www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2013-typhoon-haiyan-facts.
“Super Typhoon Meranti Recap: The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel.” The Weather Channel, weather.com/storms/typhoon/news/tropical-depression-sixteen-w-tropical-storm-typhoon-meranti-sep2016.
-, Catalina Ricci S. Madarang, et al. “Philippines Bore the Brunt of History's 3 Most Powerful Tropical Cyclones at Landfall.” Interaksyon, 18 Nov. 2020, interaksyon.philstar.com/politics-issues/2020/11/18/180660/3-powerful-tropical-cyclones-history-philippines/.
Thornton, Chandler, and Ben Westcott. “At Least 17 Dead as Typhoon Goni Impacts More than 2 Million People in the Philippines.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Nov. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/11/01/asia/typhoon-goni-philippines-aftermath-intl-hnk/index.html.
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