News•November 8, 2013

Images Show Super Typhoon Haiyan's Destruction

By Brian Kahn

Super Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines on Friday, and left behind widespread power outages, tattered buildings, and displaced thousands on a number of the islands that make up the country. The provinces of Leyte, Bohol, and Cebu, and Samar were among some of the hardest hit by the storm’s fury.

Satellites showed that Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda, was likely among the most intense tropical cyclones at landfall in recorded history with winds estimated at 195 mph.

In addition to high winds, Haiyan also inundated coastal areas with a large storm surge. PAGASA, the Philippines meteorology service, reported that Ormoc City in Leyte saw the biggest surge, which topped out at 17 feet. Numerous other areas in the central Philippines saw a surge of 10-15 feet.

The storm hasn’t completely left the island nation behind. Palawan, the westernmost province in the Philippines, is still under the most severe storm warning issued by PAGASA and rainfall rates there could approach 0.75 inches per hour and winds of 115 mph in the next 24 hours. From there, the storm is expected to move northwest and make landfall in Vietnam in the next 24-48 hours with sustained winds near 100 mph.