Typhoon Haiyan

[Papa Carl]

It looks like we might miss the worst of this, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to all members and their families in the path of this Typhoon.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you all after it passes, and that all will be safe.

 

 

Papa Carl

[Medic Mike]

PAGASA said the typhoon will hit in the vicinity of Samar and Leyte Friday noon, November 8, between 11 am and 1 pm.

 

Forecast tracks show it could pass through the Visayas, and will affect southern Luzon, Bicol, northern Mindanao, Caraga, and Mimaropa.

[Medic Mike]

Thousands flee as supertyphoon nears Philippines

November 7, 2013 | Accident / Crime / Disaster | Written by Kayanush

 

   

 

 

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Manila, Nov 7: Schools in some provinces of Philippines were closed Thursday as supertyphoon Haiyan came nearer to the country’s eastern coast.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the typhoon was located some 712 km east of Hinatuan city, in Surigao del Sur province, packing winds of up to 250 km per hour (kph), reports Xinhua.

In Cebu province, class suspension applies to “all levels in public and private schools” from Nov 7 to 8, provincial Governor Hilario Davide III said.

Surigao del Sur’s Governor Johnny Pimentel said “we’re experiencing heavy rains now, but no winds yet”, adding that he has already ordered an evacuation of all flood-prone areas in his province which is under public storm signal number 1 (winds of up to 55 kph) and 2 (55-65 kph).

“We’ve been already prepared since Wednesday,” Pimentel said.

Governors in Compostela Valley and Davao del Norte also asked soldiers and police to help disaster and rescue teams for possible massive flooding to be caused by Typhoon Haiyan. These areas were heavily devastated by Typhoon Bopha last year.

The Philippine coast guard said all sea travel was already suspended in Bislig city, another Surigao del Sur area expected to be directly affected by the storm.

Seven areas in Visayas region in central Philippines and in northern Mindanao are under signal number 2 while 30 other areas across the archipelago are under signal number 1.

The most powerful storm in the Philippines this year is expected to dump heavy to intense rainfall within its 600-km cloud diameter, and the state weather bureau has advised the public to be on alert.

The Philippines gets an average of 22 storms every year, being astride the so-called Typhoon Belt, between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Haiyan is the 24th storm of 2013.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Medic Mike

[Fred & Mimi]

Typhoon Yolanda has definitely made the news. Its on the TV with non stop updates. We were just upgraded from SN1 to SN2 . I hope it stops getting upgraded.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Fred & Mimi

[Medic Mike]

Typhoon on track to hit Philippines early tomorrow

What is said to be he world's most powerful typhoon this year gained strength as it swirled towards Philippines.
Authorities said typhoon Haiyan, generating wind gusts exceeding 330 kilometers an hour and is set to hit tomorrow morning.
Haiyan was expected make landfall on Samar island, about 600 km southeast of Manila, then cut across the central and southern regions before exiting into the South China Sea late Saturday.
Haiyan, advancing with a 600 km front, is expected to hit areas still recovering from a devastating 2011 storm and a 7.1-magnitude quake last month.
They include the central island of Bohol, the epicenter of the earthquake that killed 222 people, where at least 5,000 survivors are still living in tents while waiting for new homes.
Cebu Pacific said it had cancelled 110 domestic flights and four international ones between today and Saturday because of the storm.
Haiyan had maximum sustained winds in the afternoon today of 278 km an hour, and gusts of 333 km an hour, according to the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.
This would make it the world's strongest typhoon this year, according to David Michael Padua, a meteorologist with the Weather Philippines Foundation, a storm monitoring organization that runs the www.weather.com.ph website.--AFP

 

Edited November 7, 2013 by Medic Mike

[Medic Mike]

World’s most powerful typhoon heads for Philippines where more than 12 million people are at risk

 

The world’s most powerful typhoon this year gained strength on Thursday as it swirled towards the Philippines, forcing mass evacuations across a vast swathe of the disaster-weary nation.

Authorities warned more than 12 million people were at risk from Typhoon Haiyan, which was generating wind gusts exceeding 330 kilometres (200 miles) an hour and set to hit on Friday morning.

“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.”

Haiyan was expected make landfall on Samar island, about 600 kilometres southeast of Manila, then cut across the central and southern Philippines before exiting into the South China Sea late on Saturday.

Escullar said Haiyan, which was advancing with a giant, 600-kilometre front, was expected to hit areas still recovering from a devastating 2011 storm and a 7.1-magnitude quake last month.

 

They include the central island of Bohol, the epicentre of the earthquake that killed 222 people, where at least 5,000 survivors are still living in tents while waiting for new homes.

“The provincial governor has ordered local disaster officials to ensure that pre-emptive evacuations are done, both for those living in tents as well as those in flood-prone areas,” Bohol provincial administrator Alfonso Damalerio told AFP.

Other vulnerable areas were the port cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan on the southern island of Mindanao, where flash floods induced by Tropical Storm Washi killed more than 1,000 people in December 2011.

 

Authorities said evacuations were taking place in many other towns and villages in Haiyan’s path, while schools were closed, ferry services suspended and fishermen ordered to secure their vessels.

Cebu Pacific said it had cancelled 110 domestic flights and four international ones between Thursday and Saturday because of the storm.

Haiyan had maximum sustained winds on Thursday afternoon of 278 kilometres an hour, and gusts of 333 kilometres an hour, according to the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Centre.

 

This would make it the world’s strongest typhoon this year, according to David Michael Padua, a meteorologist with the Weather Philippines Foundation, a storm monitoring organisation that runs the www.weather.com.ph website.

The Philippines is battered by an average of 20 major storms or typhoons each year, many of them deadly, but scientists have said climate change may be increasing their ferocity and frequency.

The Philippines endured the world’s strongest storm of 2012, when Typhoon Bopha left about 2,000 people dead or missing on Mindanao island in December.

The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System, jointly run by the United Nations and the European Commission, said nearly 16 million people, including more than 12 million from the Philippines, were at risk from Haiyan.

The others were in Laos and Vietnam, which are forecast to be hit on Sunday, it said on its website.

“Haiyan can have a high humanitarian impact,” it said.

Edited November 7, 2013 by Medic Mike

[Medic Mike]

Philippines braces for super typhoon, the year's strongest

 

MANILA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Authorities in the Philippines grounded air and sea transport on Thursday and urged fishing boats to return to port, as an approaching super typhoon, the most powerful storm on earth this year, gathered speed.

Typhoon Haiyan is expected to make landfall early on Friday between the central islands of Samar and Leyte.

With centre winds of 215 kph (133 mph) and gusts of up to 250 kph, the storm, rated as category five, the most severe, was moving west-northwest at 33 kph in the Pacific Ocean.

President Benigno Aquino appealed to citizens to evacuate danger zones. "I am calling for community teamwork and cooperation," he said on national television and radio.

Aquino said 100 coastal areas face the threat of storm surges, bringing waves higher than 5 m to 6 m, and ordered action by local officials to limit damage and loss of lives.

Thousands of residents were moved from coastlines, river banks, and mountain slopes to safer spots, while military transport vehicles were put on standby.

Strong winds and heavy rain buffeted areas in the path of the storm, as the state weather bureau raised alert levels in more than 20 parts of the central Philippines.

The coast guard suspended ferry operations, ordered a halt to fishing and warned deep-sea fishing boats to seek shelter or return to port. Carrier Cebu Pacific announced the suspension of more than 100 local flights.

Hospitals were put on alert, with schools and some offices shut and power and communication lines turned off for safety.

Officials used bullhorns to urge residents of coastal and upland villages to move to safer areas, as trees were trimmed and boats dragged to shore.

The state weather bureau raised storm alert to level 4 on the coconut-growing islands of Samar and Leyte. Officials in 12 more central provinces also began stockpiling food, water and relief supplies.

An estimated 10 million people face disruption from typhoon Haiyan, say international relief agencies that are stepping up operations to tackle the storm.

"The humanitarian impact of Haiyan threatens to be colossal, not only in areas directly in its path, but also for nearby islands such as Bohol," said Patrick Fuller of the International Federation of Red cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Particularly vulnerable, he added, were thousands of people living in makeshift shelters on Bohol after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake last month that killed more than 200 people and displaced thousands.

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.

In September, another category-five storm, typhoon Usagi, with central winds of 205 kph and gusts of up to 240 kph, battered the northern island of Batanes before causing damage in southern China.

Bopha, last year's strongest storm, flattened three coastal towns on the southern island of Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and wreaking damage estimated at $1.04 billion.

(Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Edited November 7, 2013 by Medic Mike

[Dave Hounddriver]

Eastern Samar

Samar

Leyte

Southern Leyte

Biliran province

extreme northern Cebu

Bantayan island

Capiz

Aklan

northern Antique

 

http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/wb/tcupdate.shtml

 

These are the area that have a Signal 4 alert now.  All predictions have the main body of this storm passing over or close to my house It seems as though it will start in about 12 hours and last for 12 hours.  It seems to be a small. fast moving, destructive storm.

 

I am in a solid concrete house but the roof is typical sheet metal (which has already weathered years of smaller typhoons) so here's hoping the roof don't blow off and the windows and doors stay where they are supposed to stay.  God willing, it will all turn out alright.

 

The difference between this storm and any other typhoon I have lived through here is that this one is incredibly quiet as it sneaks up. Hardly any rain at all during the day, a little cloud cover and no wind.  Methinks that will change tomorrow.

[Medic Mike]

More areas under Signal No. 4

 

 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

CEBU CITY (Updated 8:30 p.m.) -- More provinces in the country have been placed under Public Storm Warning Signal Number 4, as Typhoon Yolanda accelerated and intensified slightly Thursday evening.

Earlier, President Benigno Aquino III addressed the nation and appealed for cooperation amid threats from the typhoon, considered to be the strongest to hit the Philippines this year. [Read full statement of Aquino on Typhoon Yolanda.]

Yolanda’s eye, as of 6 p.m. Thursday, was located at 453 kilometers southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, packing maximum winds of 225 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 260 kph.

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• Northern Mindanao braces for Typhoon Yolanda

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Yolanda, the 24th cyclone to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility this year, is forecast to move west northwest at 39 kph.

With this, Public Storm Warning Signal Number 4 was hoisted over:

* Eastern Samar
* Samar
* Leyte
* Southern Leyte
* Biliran Province
* Extreme Northern Cebu, including Bantayan Island
* Capiz
* Aklan
* Northern Antique

These areas will experience winds of more than 185 kph in at least 12 hours, said Pagasa.

Under Signal Number 3 (Winds of 101-185 kph in at least 18 hours):

* Masbate
* Ticao Island
* Sorsogon
* Romblon
* Calamian Group of Islands
* Rest of Antique
* Iloilo
* Guimaras
* Northern Negros Occidental
* Northern Negros Oriental
* Northern Cebu, including Cebu City
* Northern Samar
* Bohol
* Siargao Island
* Dinagat Province

Under Signal Number 2 (Winds of 61-100 kph in at least 24 hours):

* Mindoro Provinces
* Marinduque
* Albay
* Extreme Northern Palawan
* Burias Island
* Rest of Negros Occidental
* Rest of Negros Oriental
* Siquijor
* Rest of Cebu
* Camiguin
* Surigao Del Norte
* Surigao Del Sur
* Agusan del Norte

Under Signal Number 1 (Winds of 30-60 kph in at least 36 hours):

* Metro Manila
* Bataan
* Camarines Norte
* Camarines Sur
* Catanduanes
* Southern Quezon
* Laguna
* Rizal
* Cavite
* Batangas
* Lubang Island
* Rest of Northern Palawan, including Puerto Princesa
* Misamis Oriental
* Agusan del Sur

Track of Typhoon Yolanda as of 2 p.m. of November 7, 2013 (Source: Pagasa)

Pagasa said Typhoon Yolanda is expected to make landfall later tonight, or early Friday. After hitting Guiuan or Abuyog, Leyte, it 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) toward the West Philippine Sea.

The weather bureau said Yolanda will bring estimated rainfall of about 10 to 30 millimeters per hour (heavy – intense) within its 600-kilometer diameter.

Sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Northern Luzon and over the eastern seaboard of Central Luzon, said Pagasa.

Pagasa also warned residents in low lying and mountainous areas under signals number 4, 3, 2 and 1 against possible flashfloods and landslides.

Those living in coastal areas under signals number 4, 3, and 2 were also warned against storm surges, which may reach up to seven-meter wave height. (Sunnex)

 

Edited November 7, 2013 by Medic Mike

[Fred & Mimi]

The authorities are doing their job here in Argao. They went door to door here in Looc for mandatory evacuation. Everyone that lives on the beach must go to the evacuation center.