Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) World's strongest storm hits Central Philippines

Australian Network News Updated Thu 7 Nov 2013, 3:26am AEDT

Typhoon Haiyan is intensifying as it continues to move across the northern Pacific, packing winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour and granting it 'super' status.

Forecaster Michael Ziobrol from the US National Weather Service says the typhoon is expected to affect parts of Micronesia later on Wednesday.

"It's going pretty quickly and it's going to go to Palau and south of Yap but there's a little island there with a few people called Nrulu and they're probably going to get the eye of the typhoon over them," he said.

The Palau National Emergency Management Office, NEMO, is advising the public to tune into local broadcasters for updates and to stock up on emergency supplies.

Palau's government offices and schools will remain shut until Friday.

Mr Ziobro says many of the islands in the path of the typhoon are low-lying areas.
"Some of these little islands are not very high above the ocean so some of the wave action would be higher than atolls," he said.

US National weather service in Guam are expecting seas of around 20 feet to wash the island.

They are estimating the typhoon will pass very close to the island Kayangel at around 2am local time.

So far, there have been no deaths but some damage has been reported.
Mr Ziobro says people on the Micronesian islands should not venture out to sea due to rough waters and strong winds.
"That's very dangerous at this point," he said.
"There was a little island, Woleai, we knew they had some damage.
We haven't heard anybody getting hurt or killed so that's been fortunate for now."

'Most dangerous storm'

Haiyan is expected to reach central Philippines as a super typhoon by Friday noon local time, packing winds of 233-249 kilometres per hour, according to Michael Ziobrol.

"If people are in the Philippines, they should start preparing too, especially the central Philippines," he said.
Dr Jeff Masters, a contributor to the weather blog Wunderground, says Haiyan will likely be the most dangerous tropical cyclone to affect the Philippines this year.

Many people in the Philippines have been expressing their concerns about the impending storm on social networking site Twitter.

The typhoon will be named Yolanda when it enters the Philippines.

The country is hit by some 20 typhoons each year.

Typhoon Nari pounded the archipelago's north last month, killing 13 people.

By Alexander Smith and Becky Bratu, NBC News

One of the strongest storms ever slammed into the Philippines early Friday, packing wind speeds so high that a weather expert said were poised to make it the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at landfall.

"There will be catastrophic damage," Jeff Masters, a former hurricane meteorologist who is meteorology director at the private firm Weather Underground, told The Associated Press.

Typhoon Haiyan's maximum sustained winds were 195 mph, according to the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii.

Thousands of villagers fled as the most powerful storm on the planet this year approached the Philippines on Thursday.

Haiyan was rated as a category-five storm early Thursday, according to Weather Channel lead meteorologist Michael Palmer.
He warned that the storm was likely to cause widespread devastation and "a significant loss of life."

“It’s a very poor country and there is not really any place for these people to go because they are on an island," Palmer added. “There was a similar typhoon that struck in 1990 which killed 700 people so you are going to see that here, maybe even worse.”

He added: “It is a perfectly symmetrical storm with the eye completely clear so it is as strong as you can get."

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said it was the strongest tropical cyclone in the world this year.

Areas in the path of the storm were already experiencing strong winds and heavy rains early Thursday and officials grounded ferry services, called in fishing boats and shut schools.

"I have issued a call to prepare for the worst," said Ben Evardone, a member of Congress representing Eastern Samar province, one of the areas likely to be hit.

Evacuations were ordered in some areas and the state weather bureau raised storm alerts on Samar and Leyte. Officials in a dozen other central provinces also began stockpiling food, water and other relief supplies.

Edgardo Chatto, the governor of Bohol Island province in the central Philippines, where an earthquake last month killed more than 200 people, said that soldiers, police and rescue units were helping displaced residents, including thousands still in small tents, move to shelters. The typhoon was not forecast to directly hit Bohol but the province was still expected to be battered by strong wind and rain, government forecaster Jori Loiz said.

Haiyan is expected to lose strength after leaving the Philippines and go on to hit Vietnam with wind speeds of up to 125 mph on Saturday and Sunday, Palmer said.

An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. In 2011, typhoon Washi killed 1,200 people, displaced 300,000 and destroyed more than 10,000 homes.

Bopha, the strongest storm to hit last year, flattened three coastal towns on the southern island of Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and destroying crops, property and infrastructure worth $1 billion.

This story was originally published on Thu Nov 7, 2013 5:16 PM EST

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To watch videos, click http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/07/21344788-super-typhoon-haiyan-slams-philippines-significant-loss-of-life-predicted

BBC News > Asia 8 November 2013 Last updated at 01:22 GMT

Typhoon Haiyan, the world's strongest storm of the year, has made landfall in the Philippines with winds of up to 235 km/h (146mph).

The category-five storm was centred 62 km south-east of Guiuan, in the country's Eastern Samar province, the national weather service said.

Schools and offices have been closed in the path of the storm, and thousands evacuated amid fears of serious damage.
The region was already struggling to recover from an earthquake last month.

The governor of the Southern Leyte province, Roger Mercado, tweeted on Friday morning that fallen trees were blocking roads, hampering the relief effort.

The storm is not expected to directly hit the capital Manila, further north.

"We can feel the powerful winds, our school is now packed with evacuees," a teacher in Southern Leyte province told a local radio station.

Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private firm Weather Underground, told the Associated Press news agency there would be "catastrophic damage".
 
Another meteorologist, Eric Holthaus, said in a tweet that it could prove the "strongest landfall in history".

Relief packages
The typhoon, known locally as Yolanda, arrived with a gustiness of up to 275 km/h, the Philippines' weather service said in its bulletin, issued at 05:00 local time (21:00 GMT).

State meteorologist Romeo Cajulis told AFP news agency it had made landfall over Guiuan at 04:40.
Authorities in Guiuan could not immediately be reached for word of any deaths or damage, regional civil defence chief Rey Gozon said.

Forecaster Mario Palafox with the national weather bureau said it had lost contact with its staff in the landfall area.
It is forecast to move over to the South China Sea north of Palawan Island on Saturday, meteorologists say.

In its path are areas already struggling to recover from a 7.3-magnitude earthquake last month, including the worst-hit island of Bohol.

About 5,000 people are still living in tents in Bohol after losing their homes in the quake, which killed more than 200 people.
The military says it is transporting food packages and relief goods to remote communities, and has helicopters on stand-by. Ferry operations have already been suspended and fishing boats ordered back to port.

Thousands of people from villages at risk across several provinces have been evacuated, while schools and offices have shut.

Billboards were taken down in Makati, near Manila, ahead of the storm.

Thousands of people were evacuated from villages in the central Philippines before the arrival of the storm.

The president ordered officials to aim for zero casualties, a goal not often met in an archipelago lashed by at least 20 tropical storms each year.

President Benigno Aquino warned people to leave storm-prone areas and urged seafarers to stay in port.

He reassured the public that cargo planes and military helicopters were on standby, along with 20 navy ships.

"No typhoon can bring Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," he said in a televised address.

Ben Evardone, a member of Congress from Eastern Samar, said earlier he had "issued a call to prepare for the worst".

Meteorologists in the Philippines warned that Haiyan could be as devastating as Typhoon Bopha in 2012.

Bopha devastated parts of the southern Philippines, leaving at least 1,000 people dead and causing more than $1bn (£620m) in damage.

"This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations," state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar told AFP.

"There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous."
It is the 25th typhoon to enter Philippine territory this year.

Do you live in the Philippines? Are you experiencing Typhoon Haiyan? Send us details of your experiences using the form below.
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Australia Network News Shirley Escalante in Manila and staff Updated 35 minutes ago

The Philippines is being pounded by Super Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm on the planet in 30 years!

Haiyan was recorded packing winds of up to 314 kilometres an hour as it made landfall earlier today.
Television pictures already reveal widespread damage to parts of the central Philippines and authorities are warning of floods and landslides.

Ten million people are estimated to be in the path of the typhoon, and half-a-million people have already been evacuated.
The head of the Philippines Red Cross, Gwendolyn Pang, has told Asia Pacific even those who've sought emergency shelter are still at risk.

"Even people in evacuation centres - we are not quite sure if they're safe because the wind is very strong," she said.
"We have seen in the previous disasters - especially typhoons - still evacuation centres are not really safe for the people.
"We're trying our best to continue to monitor the situation...but it's so huge - so big."

Ms Pang says the wind is making any aid efforts difficult.

"The challenge now is how are we going to continue to support the people in the next few hours or days because...our the wind is very strong and our activities are very limited at the moment," she said.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) says Super Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, made landfall at 4.40am local time over Guiuan, Eastern Samar in Philippines.

Authorities say the typhoon could cause major damage across a vast area of the central and southern Philippines.
"This is a very dangerous typhoon," state weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said.

"There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous.
"Local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations."

In Bohol province, 5,000 people living in tents after they lost their homes in a magnitude 7.2 earthquake last month have been moved to temporary shelters.

At least 1,000 people on an island off Masbate province have been marooned by stormy weather and large waves reaching seven meters high.

Schools in the capital Manila have been closed and university classes cancelled.
President Benigno Aquino has appeared on national television to warn the people of floods and landslides
Sea travel and flights have been suspended, and schools have been closed in the central region.
An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year.
 
A 'super typhoon' is one in which the wind speeds are twice as powerful as the point at which a storm becomes a typhoon.

Bopha, last year's strongest storm, flattened three coastal towns on the southern island of Mindanao, killing 1,100 people.
Typhoon Haiyan pounded Palau and parts of Micronesia early Thursday morning, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of a remote island in Palau.

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To watch video, click http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-08/an-worlds-most-powerful-typhoon-makes-landfall-in-philippines/5078216

NTnews DAVID WOOD   |  November 8th, 2013

A DARWIN couple holidaying in the Philippines were among millions bracing for super typhoon 'Haiyan'.

Authorities warned yesterday Typhoon Haiyan, with wind gusts above 330km/h, could cause major damage across a vast area of the central and southern Philippines when it makes landfall.

Darwinites Jeremy Kay and Georgina Nefiodovas are stuck on the island of Boracay in the central region, which could be within range of getting hit directly.

Mr Kay and Ms Nefiodovas said they got to the island on the weekend and had not been able to get off in time.

"At the moment we are unable to leave Boracay as they have stopped all boats leaving the island," Jeremy told the NT News.
"This means for the next few days we will be staying here bracing ourselves for the weather to come.

"The wind is slowly picking up and there are more and more clouds gathering around but at the moment still no wild weather.
"The locals here have started to board everything up and cut a few branches down along the beach.

"So we caught a taxi to the ferry but unfortunately they only had limited boats to go and far too many people wanting to leave so we weren't able to get across."

LIVE Typhoon Haiyan coverage http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/super-typhoon-haiyan-gaining-strength-set-to-hit-philippines/story-fni0xs61-1226755411772?from=trendinglinks

DO YOU have friends or family in the typhoon's path? Tell us

State weather forecaster Glaiza Escullar said: "This is a very dangerous typhoon, local officials know where the vulnerable areas are and have given instructions on evacuations.

"There are not too many mountains on its path to deflect the force of impact, making it more dangerous."

Haiyan had maximum sustained winds yesterday morning of 278km/h, and gusts of 333km/h, according to the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

Today at 6.30am local time, iCyclone posted: "Gusts getting violent... flying tin and branches. Some gusts have an unearthly, feminine howl that gives me the creeps. 974.6 mb and falling. Might be my last update."

The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 major storms or typhoons each year, many of them deadly, but Haiyan's wind strength would make it the strongest for 2013.

The state weather service also warned the typhoon was continuing to intensify.

Mr Escullar said the typhoon, which was advancing with a giant, 600km front, was expected to hit areas still recovering from a deadly 2011 storm and a 7.1-magnitude quake last month.

They include the central island of Bohol, the epicentre of the earthquake that killed more than 200 people.

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To read more, click http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2013/11/08/327127_ntnews.html

November 08, 2013@1634H by: Staff writer From: AFP

WITH the first deaths confirmed as super typhoon Haiyan smashes through the Philippines, locals and tourists alike are desperately trying to stay out of danger.
 
Two people were killed in Cotabato province - an adult and a one-year-old - and a woman was fatally hit by a falling tree in Cebu, officials said.

With wind and rain lashing towns and resorts across the nation, Australian visitors are among the millions seeking shelter.
Sydney man Mark Denning told News Corp he and his wife were bunkered down in their hotel room on the tourist island of Boracay as the storm approached.

Mr Denning, who attended his younger brother's wedding on the island yesterday, said beaches were deserted and tourists had retreated to the safety of their hotels. He said the storm had not made landfall on the island, but it was already being battered by strong winds and heavy rain. Read his story in the blog below.

Haiyan, which is also being referred to as Yolanda by Philippines meteorologists, has been dubbed the strongest storm in history - certainly for three decades - by some experts.

It first bowled into fishing communities on the central island of Samar, about 600km southeast of Manila, earlier today with maximum sustained winds of 315km/h an hour.  It is cutting across the central and southern Philippines and is expected to exit into the South China Sea then move on towards Vietnam late on Saturday.

Authorities warned more than 12 million people were at risk from the typhoon. Its wind strength makes it equivalent to an exceptionally strong Category 5 hurricane.

Follow all the latest in our rolling coverage below: Click http://www.news.com.au/world/super-typhoon-haiyan-gaining-strength-set-to-hit-philippines/story-fndir2ev-1226755411772

Extremely destructive earthquake & typhoon in Philippines – Bohol, Cebu: At least 222 people killed, 8 missing, around 1000 injured, around 4 billion PHP damage, 7 billion PHP reconstruction costs – Typhoon RED ALERT
Last update: November 8, 2013 at 5:51 am by By Armand Vervaeck and James Daniell
 


Update 08.10.2013 05:50 UTC:
- PAGASA has released their 7th update with additional locations in Luzon and Mindanao now predicted to experience very strong winds.
 

Update 08.10.2013 05:30 UTC:
- No news from Bohol currently. Strong winds are expected there currently more in the north than the south so we hope that the damage will be as little as possible, and that no casualties occur.
- Landslides are a major concern with the amount of rain.
Update 08.10.2013 05:20 UTC:
- Destroyed houses have been reported from Surigao del Norte
- 17 million people affected.
- 5 deaths reported on Cebu, Surigao, Cotabato and other locations.
- Expected catastrophic damage and storm surges from 3-5m.
Update 08.10.2013 04:50 UTC:
- Using the current modelled path – 17.1 million people will be affected.
- This has approximately $127 billion USD capital stock (current).
- Based on historic Philippines events to create loss ratios – the economic cost of the disaster may be around $1.5-3.5 billion (over 50 billion PHP) (this would be one of the largest disasters ever and be a significant impact). This is of course a very initial estimate, and may differ greatly from the final loss (given that very little is known of the damage currently).
Update 08.10.2013 04:00 UTC:
- Webcam links posted are now down.
- There is extensive damage in many locations unfortunately – some of this is seen in the following video from Tacloban http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1057828 .
Update 08.10.2013 03:30 UTC:
- Many trees uprooted, and there is as expected damage that is unquantifiable currently.
- Many families displaced, 3 dead, 25 million expected to be affected.
- Nearly all roofs have been ripped off in Daanbantayan. Cars and motorcycles were also dragged down streets in the storm.
- A way to view the typhoon is through the following link at Bolabog Bay http://www.earthcam.com/world/philippines/boracay/bolabogbay/ .
Update 08.10.2013 02:30 UTC:
- As expected, many trees have been knocked over on Southern Leyte meaning that road transport is not possible in many locations, however no fatalities have been registered.
- 8 airports are affected.
- We are not sure when the livecams will go down – but here is one from Boracay, a popular tourist destination at Aklan http://www.earthcam.com/search/ft_search.php?term=Cebu%2C+PHILIPPINES .
Update 08.10.2013 02:00 UTC:
- The path looks like it will take out most of the tourist destinations with Cebu also being affected now.
- Approximately 5m storm surge.
- Major destruction likely and even storm shelters probably will not withstand it.
- The only good news is that Bohol will be spared the direct path – however the latest prediction is a lot wider than 80km for the severe damage (4) rating of NDRRMC – 10 locations including Cebu City which had earthquake damage have been added.
http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/1125/Update%20Sitrep%20No.5%20Effects%20of%20TY%20YOLANDA%206AM.pdf
- 1st fatality has been registered in Surigao.

 

To watch videos and view photos, click http://earthquake-report.com/2013/10/15/very-strong-earthquake-mindanao-philippines-on-october-15-2013/

The world's strongest storm of the year is making its way across the central Philippines, causing widespread damage and forcing millions of people to flee to safer ground.

Super Typhoon Haiyan smashed into the central island of Samar early on Friday morning, packing sustained winds of up to 315 kilometres per hour.

At least three people have been killed and seven injured, the government said.

Communications and power are down in several provinces, and authorities are still trying to make contact with some of the worst-hit areas.

There's particular concern about the city of Guiuan, with a population of 47,000, which was the first in line when Haiyan made landfall.

The typhoon has brought down power lines and trees, and destroyed crops, buildings and houses.

Amateur video has shown flooded streets caused both by heavy rain and a storm surge that was predicted to be as high as to seven metres.

Sea travel and flights have been suspended, and schools have been closed in the central region.

Rescue agencies say they are struggling to assess the full extent of the damage as the storm continues to batter the country.

The head of the Philippines Red Cross, Gwendolyn Pang, has told Asia Pacific even those who have sought emergency shelter are still at risk.

"Even people in evacuation centres - we are not quite sure if they're safe because the wind is very strong," she said.

"We have seen in the previous disasters - especially typhoons - still evacuation centres are not really safe for the people.

"We're trying our best to continue to monitor the situation...but it's so huge - so big."

Ms Pang says the wind is making any aid efforts difficult.

"The challenge now is how are we going to continue to support the people in the next few hours or days because...our the wind is very strong and our activities are very limited at the moment," she said.

S h o c k i n g !!