The 1912 Tacloban typhoon is a typhoon hit Tacloban, Philippines in 1912. [1] It has been pointed out that this typhoon was very similar to Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 (about 100 years later). [2] [3]
In November 1912, a typhoon swept through the central Philippines and "practically destroyed" Tacloban. In Tacloban and Capiz on the island of Panay, the death toll was 15,000, half the population of those cities at the time. [4] [5] [6]
Tacloban was devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, 101 years later. In other words, a similar catastrophe occurred about a century after the 1912 typhoon. However, there was no report that the lessons of the 1912 typhoon were passed down. In other words, despite the devastating damage caused by Typhoon 1912, it was largely forgotten 101 years later. [7] So when Typhoon Haiyan hit Tacloban, the interesting fact that a similar catastrophe had occurred about 100 years ago was revealed once again. [8] Due to this, 2013 Haiyan was also called "100-Year Storm". [9]
Leyte is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Tacloban, officially the City of Tacloban, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines. The city is autonomous from the province of Leyte, although it serves as its provincial capital. According to the 2020 census, Tacloban has a population of 251,881, making it the most populous city in the Eastern Visayas. The city is located 360 miles (580 km) southeast from Manila.
Guiuan, officially the Municipality of Guiuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. It constitutes the southeastern extremity of Samar Island and some adjacent islands, surrounded by major bodies of water including Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 53,361 people, making it the most populous municipality in Eastern Samar and the second most populous administrative division in the entire province after the capital city Borongan.
Tropical Storm Thelma, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Uring, was one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in Philippine history, killing at least 5,081 people. Forming out of a tropical disturbance on November 1, 1991, several hundred kilometers north-northeast of Palau, the depression that would become Thelma tracked generally westward. After turning southwestward in response to a cold front, the system intensified into a tropical storm on November 4 as it approached the Philippines. Hours before moving over the Visayas, Thelma attained its peak intensity with estimated ten-minute sustained winds of 75 km/h (45 mph) and a barometric pressure of 992 mbar. Despite moving over land, the system weakened only slightly, emerging over the South China Sea on November 6 while retaining gale-force winds. Thelma ultimately succumbed to wind shear and degraded to a tropical depression. On November 8, the depression made landfall in Southern Vietnam before dissipating hours later.
Typhoons in the Philippines can occur any time of the year, with the months of June to September being most active, with August being the most active individual month and May the least active. Approximately 20 tropical cyclones enter the Philippine area of responsibility yearly, an area which incorporates parts of the Pacific Ocean, the South China Sea, and the Philippine Archipelago. In each year, ten cyclones are usually expected to be typhoons, with five having the potential to be destructive ones. According to a 2013 Time Magazine article, the Philippines is "the most exposed country in the world to tropical storms". In the Philippine languages, tropical cyclones are generally called bagyo.
Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport, also known as Tacloban City Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Tacloban, a highly urbanized city in Leyte island in the Philippines. It is the main gateway from Manila and Cebu to Eastern Visayas. It is classified as a Class 1 principal airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the agency responsible for the operations of all the airports in the Philippines excluding the major international airports. As of 2017, Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport is ranked as the eighth-busiest and the third-fastest growing airport by passenger volume out of the 45 commercial airports in the Philippines.
Typhoon Utor, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Seniang, swept through the central Philippines in December 2006, exacerbating the damage left behind by previous Philippine typhoon strikes that year. Residual moisture from the tropical cyclone indirectly contributed to extensive flooding in Malaysia. Utor originated from an area of disturbed weather that organized into a tropical depression on December 7 west-southwest of Yap. The cyclone steadily progressed westward while gradually intensifying, reaching tropical storm intensity late on December 7. On December 9 and the ensuing two days, Utor crossed the central Philippines and reached typhoon strength before weakening somewhat upon entry into the South China Sea. Reintensification ensued afterwards, and Utor reached its peak intensity on December 13 with maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h (100 mph) shortly after regaining typhoon strength. However, wind shear and dry air began to take its toll on Utor thereafter, quickly weakening the storm until its dissipation on December 15.
The Philippines has five types of climates: tropical rainforest, tropical monsoon, tropical savanna, humid subtropical and oceanic characterized by relatively high temperature, oppressive humidity and plenty of rainfall. There are two seasons in the country, the wet season and the dry season, based upon the amount of rainfall. This is also dependent on location in the country as some areas experience rain all throughout the year. Based on temperature, the warmest months of the year are March through October; the winter monsoon brings cooler air from November to February. May is the warmest month, and January, the coolest.
Typhoon Angela, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Rosing, was a catastrophic Category 5-equivalent typhoon with 180 mph (290 km/h) sustained winds, and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 1995. Typhoon Angela was the third storm in a row that struck the Philippines, following Yvette and Zack. Typhoon Angela was the twenty-ninth tropical cyclone, and the fifth super typhoon of the moderately active 1995 Pacific typhoon season.
Tropical Depression Winnie was a weak, but catastrophic tropical cyclone that killed nearly 1,600 people after triggering widespread flooding in the Philippines. It was the second deadliest tropical cyclone of 2004 worldwide, only surpassed by Atlantic Hurricane Jeanne. A depression, which formed east of Samar, brought heavy rain to areas where it passed through, and affecting many areas, owing to Winnie’s large cloudiness.
The 1881 Haiphong typhoon was a devastating typhoon that struck Haiphong, in northern Dai Nam, and the northern part of the Captaincy General of the Philippines on October 8, 1881. The typhoon was first detected east of Southern Luzon on September 27, 1881. The typhoon killed about 23,000 people in total.
Typhoon Son-Tinh, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ofel, was a powerful, late-forming typhoon that devastated the Philippines with tropical storm strength, and battered Northern Vietnam with hurricane-force winds at landfall on October 28, 2012. Originating from a broad area of low pressure over Palau on October 20, the system strengthened into a tropical depression by October 21, and on October 22, it became the 23rd named storm of the season.
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the deadliest Philippine typhoons on record, killing at least 6,300 people in that country alone. In terms of JTWC-estimated 1-minute sustained winds, Haiyan is tied with Meranti in 2016 for being the second strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record, only behind Goni of 2020. As of January 2014, bodies were still being found. Haiyan was also the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2013.
Typhoon Haiyan's meteorological history began with its origins as a tropical disturbance east-southeast of Pohnpei and lasted until its degeneration as a tropical cyclone over southern China. The thirteenth typhoon of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, Haiyan originated from an area of low pressure several hundred kilometers east-southeast of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia on November 2. Tracking generally westward, environmental conditions favored tropical cyclogenesis and the system developed into a tropical depression the following day. After becoming a tropical storm and attaining the name Haiyan at 0000 UTC on November 4, the system began a period of rapid intensification that brought it to typhoon intensity by 1800 UTC on November 5. By November 6, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) assessed the system as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale; the storm passed over the island of Kayangel in Palau shortly after attaining this strength.
Tropical Storm Podul, known in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Zoraida, was a weak but destructive tropical cyclone that affected the Philippines shortly after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan. The 31st named storm of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season, Podul developed as a tropical depression on November 11 between Palau and the Philippine island of Mindanao. The system moved west-northwestward and struck Davao Oriental in Mindanao on November 12, bringing heavy rainfall that killed two people and disrupted relief efforts following Haiyan. After crossing the Philippines, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Podul on November 14. Shortly thereafter, the storm struck southeastern Vietnam, and its circulation dissipated on November 15. In Vietnam, Podul produced heavy rainfall that resulted in severe flooding. The storm damaged or destroyed 427,258 houses, and overall damage was estimated at 4.1 trillion₫. Podul killed 44 people in the country and caused 66 injuries.
In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, the Philippines received numerous messages of condolence and offers of assistance from a range of international leaders.
The Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act allowed Americans to retroactively claim tax deductions for charitable donations made between January 1, 2014 and April 15, 2014 as donations made in the year 2013, which were made for the relief of victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and nearby areas, after the Federal Trade Commission and State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs published advisories concerning Typhoon Haiyan charity scams. Under the law, the Internal Revenue Service accepted phone bills in lieu of documentation from 501(c)3 organizations for those donations made for the relief of victims of the typhoon. The typhoon did an estimated $1 billion in damage and killed thousands of people.
Severe Tropical Storm Mekkhala, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Amang, was an early-season tropical cyclone that made landfall over the Philippines in January 2015. Mekkhala killed three people in the Bicol Region and caused light crop damage. Notably, the storm disturbed Pope Francis’ visit to the country after the victims of Typhoon Haiyan on November 8, 2013. Although the storm also caused an airplane crash in Tacloban, nobody was hurt in the incident.
The effects of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season in the Philippines were considered some of the worst in decades. Throughout the year, a series of typhoons impacted the country, with the worst impacts coming from Typhoon Haiyan, especially in death toll, during November.
Typhoon Phanfone, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ursula, was a strong and deadly tropical cyclone which traversed the Philippines on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2019, the first typhoon to do so since Nock-ten in 2016.