TYPHOON HAIYAN

A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the western part of the Pacific Ocean between 180°and 100°E. This region is referred to as the northwest Pacific basin. Typhoon is the regional name in the northwest Pacific for a severe (or mature) tropical cyclone, whereas hurricane is the regional term in the northeast Pacific and northern Atlantic. Elsewhere this is called a tropical cyclone, severe tropical cyclone, or severe cyclonic storm.

There are six main requirements for tropical cyclogenesis: sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, atmospheric instability, high humidity in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere, enough Coriolis force to develop a low pressure center, a pre-existing low level focus or disturbance, and low vertical wind shear. While these conditions are necessary for tropical cyclone formation, they do not guarantee that a tropical cyclone will form.

Usually, typhoons are not named after people. Instead, they generally refer to animals, flowers, astrological signs, and a few personal names. While the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) names each typhoon, the main name list itself is coordinated amongst 18 countries which have territories threatened by typhoons each year. However, the Philippines use their own naming list for systems which approach the country, and their latest typhoon is named Haiyan, which is the Chinese name of a sea bird named petrel. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) retain its own naming list, which does consist of human names.

Typhoon Haiyan has recorded the highest sustained tropical cyclone winds on record, at 195 miles per hour (314 km/h) shortly before making landfall in the central Philippines on Nov. 8, 2013. At least 9.7 million people in 41 provinces were affected by the typhoon. It’s one of the most powerful recorded typhoons to ever hit land and likely the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Philippines. More than 10,000 people are feared dead and thousands are injured as entire villages were destroyed and cities devastated by huge waves and winds of nearly 150 mph. A weakened but still powerful Haiyan also churned through the South China Sea and made landfall in northern Vietnam, which evacuated tens of thousands of people. Forests of palm trees were mowed down on hills surrounding the city. Inside the city, the damage is catastrophic. The storm surge shoved massive freight ships ashore. Many buildings were flattened. Those that weren’t have large chunks ripped away by ferocious waters and winds from the storm.

As the impact of climate change grows ever more marked, the ill-starred Philippines, lying prone and vulnerable at the windswept eastern end of the Pacific, averages about 20 typhoons a year, including three super-typhoons plus numerous incidents of flooding, drought, earthquakes and tremors and occasional volcanic eruptions, making it one of the most naturally disaster-prone countries in the world, thus making it a hothouse for developing new methods and systems in the growing business of disaster relief. But as super-typhoon Haiyan cruelly demonstrated, it still has a long way to go. As one of the world’s poorest and least developed countries, the Philippines is handicapped by a chronic lack of resources, poor or non-existent infrastructure, and a far-flung archipelagic geography when dealing with the natural catastrophes that regularly afflict it.

References:

www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/en.wikipedia.org/…/Philippine_Atmospheric,_Geophysical_and_Astrono…‎

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/11/typhoon-haiyan-philippines-climate-change-plans