the syllabus says
Measuring disasters
- Explain the causes and impacts of any one disaster resulting from a natural hazard.
typhoons in the philippines: typhoon haiyan (yolanda)
This case study looks at the disaster of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. This disaster was the worst in modern times in the Philippines, and drew enormous attention across the world. Locally, the typhoon was known as 'Yolanda' as the Philippines has its own naming conventions for tropical cyclones.
key terms
Typhoon - the south-east Asian term for tropical cyclones (known as hurricanes in much of the rest of the world)
PAGASA - the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. It is the Philippine government agency responsible for typhoon prediction, among other things
Filipino - noun for a person from the Philippines
PAGASA - the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. It is the Philippine government agency responsible for typhoon prediction, among other things
Filipino - noun for a person from the Philippines
country background
Source for maps: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/ph.htm
Population of country: 107m approx. (July 2014)
GDP per capita: $4,700 (2013 est.), ranking 165 out of the world's countries in terms of wealth Capital city: Manilla Land area: 300,000 sq km The Philippines is generally a very poor country with significant inequality, especially between urban and rural dwellers. The population pyramid to the right shows the typical youthful population of a low income country. The vast majority (over 80%) of Filipinos are Catholic. |
Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html
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the event
Typhoon Haiyan was one of the largest storms ever recorded. The video to the right summarises the causes of the event, and describes some of the impacts.
The worst hit areas were Tacloban City in the central Philippines, and Leyte and Samar provinces. Quick facts
Source: http://www.oxfam.org/en/philippines/philippines-typhoon-haiyan-our-response, and http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/11/philippines-marks-typhoon-haiyan-anniversary-201411835744828320.html |
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The video below is a long but powerful documentary about the typhoon.
the response
Short term reponses
The government of the Philippines was criticised for the lack of a proper response (both before, during and after). One year later, over 15000 people were still living in temporary accommodation. The graphic to the right shows the responses of the government, alongside key events. You can see a full version of it here (or, right click over the image and download).
There were also responses from many different NGOs, including the following:
Oxfam
Crossroads (Hong Kong based small scale NGO)
Open Street Map (international mapping tool run by volunteers)
Before the event
There were preparations made before the typhoon, based on previous events. The Philippines regularly receives typhoons and is also a risk from regular earthquakes. A good example of the efforts made to prepare is in the risk assessment for Manilla. The video below (10 minutes) describes how the government prepares one of the world's largest cities for future hazard events. Long term responses Though the long term impact of such efforts is debated, the changes in the response after Typhoon Haiyan - especially with regard to better building - were seen during Typhoon Ruby the following year. Visual changes: the UK Guardian website resource The changes in the area can be see in this excellent resource from the UK Guardian website. Click on the pictures (you need to scroll down) to see how the area changed from the immediate aftermath compared to one year on. |
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