Typhoon Haiyan

A couple of weeks ago, we had a speaker come in and talk about hurricanes and tornados. I thought this topic was really interesting; therefore, this blog is going to be about hurricanes.

According to the textbook, Hurricanes are what we generally refer to as tropical cyclones. It consists of prominent low-pressure centers that are essentially circular, with a steep pressure gradient outward from the center. As a result, strong winds spiral inward. But in order for a storm to be classified as a hurricane, the wind must reach a speed of 119 kilometers per hour. The wind pattern of a hurricane pulls in warm water, which the causes or fuels that storm. As the warm water spirals into the storm, air rises and cools which then brings air to saturation. Condensation then releases water that builds up clouds and feeds the heavy rain.

In general, both typhoons and hurricanes are tropical cyclones but differ in their locations. The difference between hurricane and typhoon is that tropical cyclones in the west Pacific are called Typhoons and those in the Atlantic and east Pacific Ocean are called Hurricanes.

Typhoon Haiyan, which is also known as Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclone that devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, which was in fact my hometown. It is supposedly the deadliest Philippines typhoon on record killing at least 6,000 people. According to CNN, more than 27,000 people have been reported injured and 1,800 people are still missing. According to Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at Weather Underground, Haiyan had sustained winds of 230 km/h to 315 km/h when It struck the Philippines making it the strongest cyclone ever at the time of landfall.

Despite the destructive winds, a storm surge, which is the height of the sea above the tide, can conflict the heaviest damage and kill the most people. Storm surges vary a lot even among the most powerful storms, because the rise in ocean water is driven not just by the wind speed but how long high winds are sustained, how fast the storm moves forward, whether a storm makes landfall during high or low tide, and especially the shape of the sea floor leading up to the coast. The estimates for Haiyan’s surge are between 15 and 20 feet where it first made landfall.

            

After this catastrophic typhoon hit the Philippines, the after math is truly heart breaking. The pictures I have found are devastating. And to this day, I still pray for the families that were affected by the typhoon and  am very thankful to god that my family are okay.

Sources:

Fischetti, Mark. "Was Typhoon Haiyan a Record Storm?" Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.

Staff, CNN. "Typhoon Haiyan Death Toll Tops 6,000 in the Philippines." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.

"Super Typhoon Haiyan: Satellite Images." BBC News. N.p., 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.

"Typhoon Haiyan Storm Surge Destroys House in Seconds - Video." Theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.