Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines, 2013
One of the strongest recorded typhoons drove a storm surge through Tacloban, Philippines, killing about 6,300 people.
- Verified
- Philippines
- 8 November 2013
- Library
Verification state
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The event was 13 years ago, and the verified state covers 21 days after the event and older.
Evidence
15 figures, each threaded to its source
Deaths
6,300people (about)
2 sources
“Deaths from Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan) increased to 6,300, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Thursday.”
Peak sustained winds
195mph (reported, up to)
2 sources
“sustained winds of up to 195 mph”
People affected
14.1million people
2 sources
“14.1 million people had been affected, with more than 4.1 million displaced”
People displaced
4.1million people (more than)
2 sources
“14.1 million people had been affected, with more than 4.1 million displaced”
Houses damaged or destroyed
1.1million houses (about)
2 sources
“an estimated 1.1 million houses had been damaged or destroyed”
Storm surge height at Tacloban
5 to 6metres
“the storm surge level was 5–6 m and local amplification of water surface elevation due to seiche was found to be significant inside Leyte Gulf.”
International donations by January 2014
662.9million US dollars
“As of January 31, 2014, international donors have contributed a total of $662.9 million”
Population of Tacloban
220,000people
2 sources
“The city of Tacloban (population 220,000), capital of Leyte province, was one of the hardest hit places”
People evacuated before landfall
792,000people
“The government also reported that 792,000 people were evacuated in advance of the disaster.”
People missing
1,061people
2 sources
“It also said 1,061 remain missing while 28,689 were injured.”
People needing food assistance
5.6million people (nearly)
“assessments revealed that nearly 5.6 million people required food assistance”
People evacuated by the US military
21,000people (over)
“The U.S. military delivered more than 2,495 tons of relief supplies and evacuated over 21,000 people”
Share of Tacloban destroyed
90percent (city administrator's estimate)
“Lim said 90 percent of Tacloban had been destroyed but only 20 percent of the city's 220,000 residents had received help.”
Sea surface temperature where Haiyan formed
30degrees Celsius (about)
“the spawning of Haiyan, Patricia, and Meranti was associated with toasty sea surface temperatures of about 30°C”
Coconut trees damaged or destroyed in Eastern Visayas
33million trees (some)
“In this region alone some 33 million coconut trees were damaged or destroyed”
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Background
Typhoon Haiyan, called Yolanda in the Philippines, struck the central Philippines on 8 November 2013 as one of the strongest storms ever recorded at landfall. It formed over unusually warm water in the western Pacific and tracked across the Visayas islands with sustained winds reported at up to 195 mph. The deadliest part was not the wind but the sea. The storm pushed a surge of 5 to 6 metres into the shallow, funnel-shaped bay at Tacloban, a low-lying city of 220,000 people, sweeping away lightly built homes near the shore. Around 6,300 people died and 14.1 million were affected across the region, with 4.1 million displaced and about 1.1 million houses damaged or destroyed. The Philippines faces around twenty typhoons a year and evacuated 792,000 people in advance, but many shelters were single-storey buildings that could not cope with the surge. A huge national and international relief effort followed, and reconstruction was planned around the slogan build back better.
Causes
Very warm ocean water
Haiyan formed over the western Pacific, where sea surface temperatures were about 30 degrees Celsius and the warm layer ran deep. This gave the storm a constant supply of heat and moisture, and with little wind shear to tear it apart, it intensified rapidly and reached peak strength just as it hit land.
A track straight across the Visayas
The typhoon crossed the central Philippine islands from the east, striking coastal towns head on. Tacloban sits at the head of a shallow, funnel-shaped bay that faces the storm's approach, so the wall of water pushed ahead of the eye was squeezed higher and higher as it drove towards the city.
Low-lying and exposed coastal settlement
Much of Tacloban and the surrounding coast lies within a few metres of sea level, and poverty had pushed thousands of families into lightly built timber homes right on the shore. Many people also underestimated the danger because warnings used the term storm surge, which fewer residents understood than the word tsunami.
Effects
Primary
- Winds reported at up to 195 mph tore off roofs and flattened timber homes across Leyte and Samar.
- A storm surge of 5 to 6 metres flooded Tacloban within minutes.
- Heavy rain and huge waves battered islands along the storm's track, cutting power and communications.
Secondary
- Tacloban's city administrator said 90 percent of the city had been destroyed.
- Looting broke out in the first days as food and water ran short.
- Contaminated water raised fears of disease in crowded evacuation centres.
Social
- Around 6,300 people died and 1,061 remained missing.
- About 4.1 million people were displaced from their homes.
- Nearly 5.6 million people needed food assistance in the months after the storm.
Economic
- About 1.1 million houses were damaged or destroyed.
- Coconut plantations, rice fields and fishing boats, the main local livelihoods, were wrecked.
- Total damage ran into billions of dollars, and international donors gave 662.9 million dollars within three months.
Environmental
- The storm surge drove seawater inland, leaving farmland salty and hard to plant.
- Some 33 million coconut trees in Eastern Visayas were damaged or destroyed.
- Oil spills and storm debris polluted coastal waters and mangroves.
Responses
Immediate
- The government evacuated 792,000 people before landfall, though some designated shelters flooded in the surge.
- The Philippine Red Cross and army distributed food, water and tarpaulins as roads were cleared.
- Foreign militaries, including a US aircraft carrier group, flew in supplies, and the US military evacuated over 21,000 people.
- The UN launched a major appeal and aid agencies set up field hospitals in the worst hit towns.
Long term
- The government adopted a build back better policy, rebuilding homes, schools and clinics to stronger standards.
- A no-build zone was declared along parts of the coast to move families away from the shore, though it proved hard to enforce.
- Thousands of families were rehoused in new resettlement sites further inland in the years after the storm.
- Storm surge warnings and evacuation plans were rewritten in plainer language, and mangroves were replanted as natural coastal defences.
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