Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) approaching the Phillipines. Image Credit:2013 NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report
Official Phillipino site for disaster information.

8 November 2013, Typhoon Yolanda hits landfall at 4:40AM.
11 November 2013, President Benigno Aquino III issued a proclamation declaring a state of national calamity.
As of 16 November 2013, 3633 reported dead, 12,487 injured and 1,179 missing.
9,703,804 persons/1,962,898 families affected.
1,910,547 persons/ 405,179 families displaced.
287,199 houses are damaged. 160,831 totally/126,368 partially.
The damage to infrastructure, buildings, homes, agriculture is measured in the billions.There is a sad, shocking, amazing list of victims in each released report. With all the chaos and mayhem I would imagine it’s a very important resource for friends and family who are worried about loved ones. It is also an important record of how the deaths occurred. It seems most were due to drowning, flying or falling debris, heart attacks and electrocutions.

Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies,
Space Science & Engineering Center University of Wisconsin-Madison
An excellent record of Super Typhoon Haiyan including satellite imagery.

Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog
Facinating blog by an American meteorologist.

“ Three hours before landfall, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed Haiyan’s sustained winds at 195 mph, gusting to 235 mph, making it the 4th strongest tropical cyclone in world history.”

“Haiyan had winds of 190 – 195 mph at landfall, making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in world history. The previous record was held by the Atlantic’s Hurricane Camille of 1969, which made landfall in Mississippi with 190 mph winds.”

“Typhoon and hurricane maximum wind speed estimates are only valid for over water exposure, and winds over land are typically reduced by about 15%, due to friction. This would put Haiyan’s winds at 165 mph over land areas on the south shore of Samar Island. This is equivalent to a high end EF-3 tornado.”

icyclone. Hardcore hurricane chasing.
Check out this cyclone chasers first hand account of being in Tacloban city when the Typhoon hit.

“The typhoon moved fast and didn’t last long—only a few hours—but it struck the city with absolutely terrifying ferocity.

At the height of the storm, as the wind rose to a scream, as windows exploded and as our solid-concrete downtown hotel trembled from the impact of flying debris, as pictures blew off the walls and as children became hysterical, a tremendous storm surge swept the entire downtown. Waterfront blocks were reduced to heaps of rubble. In our hotel, trapped first-floor guests smashed the windows of their rooms to keep from drowning and screamed for help, and we had to drop our cameras and pull them out on mattresses and physically carry the elderly and disabled to the second floor. Mark’s leg was ripped open by a piece of debris and he’ll require surgery.”

PAGASA. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
Phillipines national weather forecaster.

Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)
Hawaiian based weather forecastor issues tropical cyclone warnings in the North West Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean primarily for the US military.

Japan Meteorological Agency
Japans national weather forecastor. Tracked Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the early stages.

Jim Edds. Storm chaser,cameraman, author.Twitter feed from the disaster area.
James Yeynolds. Storm chaser,cameraman.Twitter feed from the disaster area

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