Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines last week causing widespread death and destruction. Haiyan may go down as one of the strongest and deadliest Typhoon’s in history. Philippines officials are stating that upwards of ten thousand fatalities are possible but due to the lack of communications with several islands the true number will not be known for some time. No building in Tacloban the coastal city of 200,000 residents appears to have escaped damage from Super Typhoon Haiyan. This part of the world is prone to typhoons but the Philippines have not seen a storm the likes of Haiyan since Tropical Storm Thelma in 1991. Below is an overview of the Ten Deadliest Typhoons to strike in the Pacific Ocean.

10. Tropical Storm Thelma November 1991- 5081 Fatalities.

Also known as tropical storm Uring in the Philippines. Thelma became a tropical storm on November 4th 1991 just before entering the Philippines. At her strongest Thelma attained peak winds of 45 mph with a barometric pressure reading of 992 mbar. Thelma’s interaction with the high terrain of the Philippines resulted in torrential rainfall due to orographic lifting. Massive flash flooding occurred due to deforestation that was taking place on many of the islands. 4922 people were killed in Ormoc City alone. Total losses amounted to 27.67 million.

9. Typhoon Vera September 1959- 5098 Fatalities

Also known as the Isewan Typhoon. Vera is the strongest typhoon to ever hit Japan. Typically typhoons weaken when they approach Japan but due to abnormally warm sea water temperatures Vera remained very intense. With winds of 159 mph and a barometric pressure of 895 mbar Vera was the equivalent of a category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. Damage estimated to be near 261 million dollars at the time made Vera one of the worst natural disasters in Japanese history.

8. The Great Hong Kong Typhoon September 1937- 11,000 fatalities.

This unnamed beast made land fall in Hong Kong Harbor on September 2nd 1937. At the time Hong Kong harbor was the 7th busiest in the world. The most severe impact from the typhoon was a 30 ft tidal wave that was pushed through the narrow Tolo Channel, located in the northeast area of Hong Kong. It swamped the low-lying villages of Taipo and Shatin, causing great damage and loss of life. The typhoon winds were so strong that instruments capable of measuring wind up to 125mph were destroyed.

7. Tongking Typhoon 1881- 20,000 fatalities.

The Tongking Typhoon spread death and destruction in the area that is now known as North Vietnam in early October of 1881. The port town of Haiphong located inland from the Gulf of Tonkin on a branch of the Red River was entirely swept away. It was originally believed that the typhoon split into two storms but this theory has since been proven impossible and it is now believed that the storm track was located in the center the two paths.

6. The Canton China Typhoon 1862- 40,000 fatalities.

On July 27th 1882 a massive typhoon ravaged Canton China causing cataclysmic devastation. Following is an excerpt of an account of one of the residents of Canton “On Sunday, July 27, we suffered a most terrible typhoon. Not since 1832 has there been anything like it, and many say not since the memory of man. Great ships were driven up the river, broadside against the wind; some went completely over, keel up, and every soul on board under water. As the boats went by at so mad a rate we could see the poor souls clinging to the sides; all they could do was to try to save their own lives”

5. The China Typhoon of 1912- 50,000 fatalities

A large typhoon struck the Eastern coast of China causing massive death and destruction. The China typhoon was a largely undocumented typhoon for unknown reasons. Pictured is a press release from a Paris newspaper.

4. Swatow China Typhoon of 1922- 60,000 fatalities.

The Swatow typhoon of 1922 began as a tropical depression before intensifying as it entered the Northernmost point of the South China Sea. The typhoon caused a massive storm surge of 12 feet above normal inundated the town of Swatow. A large part of the Swatow population perished in the storm. The barometric pressure of the storm is believed to have reached 932 mb with sustained winds of 100 mph.

3. The Super Typhoon of 1780- 100,000 fatalities.

Surprisingly little is known about this killer typhoon. It struck Eastern Asia killing over 100,000.

2. Typhoon Nina Early August 1975- 229,000 fatalities.

On the evening of July 31st 1975 aircraft observed an incredible explosion of tropical storm Nina in the Philippine sea. Nina’s winds increased from 75 mph to nearly 159 mph overnight. Nina made landfall as a Category 3 equivalent storm near the Taiwanese city of Hualien with winds of 115 mph. Taiwan was hit very hard by Nina. A deluge of rain caused flooding and mudslides of epic proportions. Nina then moved onto to mainland China where she weakened but continued producing biblical amounts of rain. This rain led to the collapse of the Banqiao Dam causing a 1 in 2000 year flood for the area below. In total 62 dams failed due to Nina causing the majority of casualties and 1.2 billion dollars in damage.

1. 1881 Haiphont Typhoon- 300,000 fatalities.

Typhoon Haiphont made landfall in what is now Vietnam, on 8 October 1881. 300,000 people were killed by the typhoon. The Gulf of Tonkin is a body of water between Vietnam, the Chinese Island of Hainan, and Mainland China. It provides one of the most frequently used paths for Pacific typhoons originating near the Philippines to strike the Asian mainland. On October 8, 1881, a monstrous typhoon traveled through the Gulf of Tonkin and devastated Haiphong, Vietnam and the surrounding coastal area. Some 300,000 people lost their lives as the typhoon’s storm surge flooded the low-lying city. Today, the disaster still ranks today among the greatest losses of life from any tropical cyclone worldwide. Little is known of what preparation or precautions may have been lacking at the time, but the city was hit again in 2005. That storm came onshore with 100 mph sustained winds, but the casualty toll in the developed industrial center was significantly less: 150 people died in the storm.

As you can see, the area around the Philippines is particularly prone to Typhoons. The ferocity that was seen with Typhoon Haiyan was extraordinary. We can only hope that the death toll does not reach the level to include this event on the the above list. Below are some of the places where you can help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Please keep the victims in your prayers.

- The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that 2.5 million people will need food assistance in the regions affected by Haiyan. They have set up a page where you can donate to efforts aimed at providing relief to families and children affected by the typhoon.

- UNICEF is accepting donations to directly assist the children affected by Haiyan. “Children urgently need access to safe water, hygiene supplies, food, shelter and a safe environment to recover,” the groups said.

- Catholic Relief Services is another major organization helping to collect relief funds for the recovery efforts.

- Save the Children is directing donations to help children in the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos. They’ve also said they will set aside 10 percent of all donations to create a new fund for similar future emergencies.

- Heifer is accepting donations to help residents recover from and prepare for future disasters.

 

Zach Roberts

Owner-Mr Twister

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