Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) strongest storm of the year hits central Philippines

Share Your Thoughts:

Update 11/15: “A senior government minister in the Philippines has been defending its response to a typhoon which has left thousands of people dead and many more desperate for aid. Interior Secretary Mar Roxas says aid has taken longer to arrive because the “first and second layers of first responders were literally swept away” along with social structures.”

The Philippines national disaster agency raised the death toll in the wake Typhoon Haiyan to 3,621. The number of those injured stood at 12,165, state news agency PNA reported, after the storm ripped up a group of the nation’s islands with winds more than three times stronger than those of Hurricane Katrina. At least 1,140 individuals are officially missing.

Updates:

Twitter: @dost_pagasa

Official Crisis Resource Page: http://www.gov.ph/crisis-response/updates-typhoon-yolanda/

Updated 11/10/2013

Philippines reels from catastrophic damage as Typhoon Haiyan heads to Vietnam

Image of storm surge before/after Tacloban City 11/7/2013 7 PM EST

The Philippines is being assaulted world’s strongest storm so far this year. Evacuations and preparations were underway ahead of Super Typhoon Haiyan.

‏@dswdserves –

Department of Social Welfare and Development

Quezon City, Philippines · dswd.gov.ph

DSWD prepositioned 27,550 family food packs in provinces along typhoon #YolandaPH path

On state television, forecasters warned that Typhoon Haiyan, which is locally called Yolanda, would pack winds topping 240 kilometers per hour. And this would make it the most powerful storm this rainy season.

Forecasters expect Haiyan to make landfall Friday morning on the eastern-most island province Samar. They say Metropolitan Manila to the northwest will also be under a major storm warning as the typhoon makes its way toward the western part of the country.

Resources:

Visit www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph and noah.dost.gov.ph for weather updates.

Visit www.ndrrmc.gov.ph for consolidated reports on government’s response and relief efforts.

Visit www.piacaraga.com’s Yolanda page.

Online information for natural calamities

Emergency hotlines

What does it mean if an area is under a state of calamity?

From the Department of Social Welfare and Development

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assures that there is a sufficient amount of relief goods for all the regions that will be affected by Typhoon Yolanda, which has just entered the Philippine area of responsibility midnight of Wednesday and is expected to become a supertyphoon.

Repacking of food packs is on-going. Regions VI, VII, VIII, and CARAGA have already prepositioned 24,450 family food packs.

The DSWD-National Resource Operations Center (NROC) is also repacking 25,000 family food packs for ready augmentation in addition to the 29,874 available food packs.

The DSWD has prepositioned emergency relief resources in the regions along the typhoon path amounting to P178.4 million consisting of P59.94 million standby funds, 89,260 family food packs worth P22.28 million, other food supplies and non-food items amounting to P96.16 million. This includes the newly-released P30 million additional standby funds of P5 million each for Regions IV-A, IV-B, V, VI, VII and X.

As of 6 pm, 888 families composed of 6,107 persons coming from Regions V, VI, VII, VIII and CARAGA have already been affected by typhoon Yolanda. The total affected persons include the 1,901 strandees in Region V at the ports of Tabaco, Albay, and Bulan and Matnog, Sorsogon.

Illustration of super typhoon Haiyan

As NOAA noted in a post, the conditions are perfect to fuel Haiyan’s fury:

Some 790 families or 3,804 persons are temporarily staying in 18 evacuation centers. The other 98 families with 402 persons are staying either with their relatives or friends in safer places.

In Region V, the evacuation centers are in the towns of Malinao and Guinobatan in Albay, and Planas in Masbate.

In Region VII, the evacuation centers are in Catigbian, Clarin, and Sevilla in Bohol.

An evacuation center is also set up in Tacloban City and in Surigao del Norte.

DSWD Field Offices are coordinating with the regional offices of other national government agencies for disaster response and relief operations.’

All DSWD Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Teams are on alert status ready to assist in the distribution of relief goods, management of evacuation centers, as well as in monitoring and assessing the extent of the disaster.

dswd.gov.ph

• Yolanda, after hitting Guiuan or Abuyog, Leyte, is expected to traverse the provinces of Biliran, the Northern tip of Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Romblon, Semirara Island, the Southern part of Mindoro then Busuanga and will exit the Philippine landmass (on Saturday early morning) towards the West Philippine Sea.
• Estimated rainfall amount is from 10.0 – 30.0 mm per hour (Heavy – Intense) within the 600 km diameter of the Typhoon.
• Sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Northern Luzon and over the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon.
• Residents in low lying and mountainous areas under signal #4, #3,#2 & #1 are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides. Likewise, those living in coastal areas under signal #4, #3 and #2 are alerted against storm surges which may reach up to 7-meter wave height.
• The public and the disaster risk reduction and management council concerned are advised to take appropriate actions and watch for the next bulletin to be issued at 11 PM today.

For more information and queries, log on to www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph or please call at telephone numbers 927-1335 and 927-2877

— with Yu Yu and 7 others.

Photo: Severe Weather Bulletin 5 Tropical cyclone warning: Typhoon “#YolandaPH” (HAIYAN) Issued at 11:00PM, 07 November 2013 TYPHOON “YOLANDA” HAS MAINTAINED ITS COURSE AND INTENSITY AND CONTINUES TO THREATEN EASTERN VISAYAS. Location of eye/center: At 10:00 PM today, the eye of Typhoon “YOLANDA” was located based on all available data including Guiuan Radar at 290 km East Southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar (10.3°N, 128.3°E). Strength: Maximum sustained winds of 225 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 260 kph. Movement: Forecast to move West Northwest at 39 kph. Forecast Position: Typhoon “YOLANDA” is expected to make landfall tomorrow morning (5 am) over Guiuan, Eastern Samar. It will be in the vicinity of Coron, Palawan by tomorrow evening. By Saturday evening, it will be at 934 km West Northwest of Coron, Palawan or outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility. PSWS #4 (Winds of more than 185 kph is expected in at least 12 hrs) (LUZON) Masbate VISAYAS (Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte Biliran Province, extreme Northern Cebu including Bantayan Island, Capiz, Aklan, Northern Antique) PSWS #3(Winds of 101-185 kph is expected in at least 18 hours) : LUZON (Ticao Island, Sorsogon, Romblon and Calamian Group of Islands) VISAYAS (Rest of Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Northern Negros Occidental, Northern Negros Oriental, Bohol, Northern Cebu including Cebu City and Camotes Island) MINDANAO (Siargao Island and Dinagat Province) PSWS #2(Winds of 61-100 kph is expected in at least 24 hours) : LUZON (Mindoro Provinces, Marinduque, Albay, Extreme Northern Palawan and Burias islands) VISAYAS (Rest of Negros Occidental, Rest of Negros Oriental, Siquijor and Rest of Cebu ) MINDANAO (Camiguin, Surigao Del Norte, Surigao Del Sur and Agusan del Norte) PSWS #1(Winds of 30-60 kph is expected in at least 36 hours) : LUZON (Metro Manila, Bataan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Southern Quezon, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, Batangas, Lubang Island and Rest of Northern Palawan including Puerto Princesa) MINDANAO (Misamis Oriental and Agusan del Sur) • Yolanda, after hitting Guiuan or Abuyog, Leyte, is expected to traverse the provinces of Biliran, the Northern tip of Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Romblon, Semirara Island, the Southern part of Mindoro then Busuanga and will exit the Philippine landmass (on Saturday early morning) towards the West Philippine Sea. • Estimated rainfall amount is from 10.0 - 30.0 mm per hour (Heavy - Intense) within the 600 km diameter of the Typhoon. • Sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Northern Luzon and over the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon. • Residents in low lying and mountainous areas under signal #4, #3,#2 & #1 are alerted against possible flashfloods and landslides. Likewise, those living in coastal areas under signal #4, #3 and #2 are alerted against storm surges which may reach up to 7-meter wave height. • The public and the disaster risk reduction and management council concerned are advised to take appropriate actions and watch for the next bulletin to be issued at 11 PM today. For more information and queries, log on to www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph or please call at telephone numbers 927-1335 and 927-2877

Share Your Thoughts: