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The Phillippines Natural Disaster Topic


pdogg

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A tsunami alert triggered by a magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off eastern Philippines today has been canceled for several countries, including Japan, leaving warnings only for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the epicenter of the quake was 58 miles east of Sulangan, Philippines and 464 miles east southeast of Manila.

Update at 10:33 a.m. ET: The Associated Press spoke by phone to fisherman Marlon Lagramado, in the coastal town of Guiwan, in the Philippines province of Eastern Samara. "My neighbors and I have evacuated. We are now on our way to the mountains," he tells the AP.

Update 10:17 a.m. ET: The USGS has revised the size of the Philippines quake downwar from magnitude-7.9 to magnitude-7.6.

Update at 10:15 a.m. ET: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cancelsits tsunami watch for Hawaii.

Update at 10:14 a.m. ET: A tsunami alert originally was issued for several countries including Japan and for Pacific islands as far away as the Northern Marianas, but most of them were soon lifted, leaving warnings only for the Philippines, Indonesia and Palau, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says.

Update at 9:52 a.m. ET: The head of the Philippine seismology agency, Renato Solidum, tells the Associated Press that his bureau recorded a preliminary magnitude of 7.7. He says residents living along the coastline of eastern Samar Island were advised to evacuate to high ground in case of the tsunami.

Update at 9:48 a.m. ET: Here, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, are some estimated arrival times of a tsunami in the are in the event that it is confirmed that the quake has triggered one:

  • Taitung, Taiwan, 10:41 a.m. ET
  • Okinawa, Japan, 10L46 a.m. ET
  • Guam, Guam, 11:17 a.m. ET:
  • Wake Island, 1:57 p.m. ET
  • Solomon Islands, 2:04 p.m. ET

READ: Full list of estimated arrival time of possible tsunami

Update at 9:32 a.m. ET: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued an estimated time of arrival of any tsunami in the region in the event that it confirms a tsunami has been created. At the present time, it say it cannot confirm that the quake triggered a major wave.

Update at 9:25 a.m. ET: While a tsunami wave has not yet been confirmed, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issuedthis statement:

Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter. An investigation is underway to determine if there is a tsunami threat to Hawaii. If tsunami waves impact Hawaii the estimated earliest arrival of the first tsunami wave is 1228 PM HST FRI 31 AUG 2012.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have change this thread name to ( The Phillippines Natural Disasters Topic ) so everybody can post any other natural things that is going on over there like , typhoons , earthquake , Vulcano eruptions or what ever that we need to know abouth....

The most common probleem that a monger will face when he go there is the weather , i will post soon some up to date info abouth the weather and the rain season , i have also a link to a 24/7 radar systeem that will let you see how the weather is at that moment in the phillippines

A real eye opener for the persons that have to go there for business or vacation....

Greetz , stealth

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Rain Seasons

While the Philippines has two seasons – the wet and dry, the entire archipelago is still subdivided into four climatic types due to differences in geography and distances between the islands. So it is possible that while it is raining hard in Boracay you can still get a tan in Caramoan or Siargao.

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Type I: These areas have two pronounced seasons. Dry from November to April, and wet the rest of the year. Areas categorized under this type are in the western Philippines, which includes the western Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan, Cavite, Laguna and Metro Manila.

Type II: These areas have no dry season, with a very pronounced wet season from November to January. Areas under this type are mostly located in the east sides of Bicol peninsula, Visayas and Mindanao. Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Eastern Samar and Surigao are among the provinces under Type II.

Type III: These are areas with unpredictable seasons, but experts observed a relatively dry season from November to April and wet during the rest of the year. Kalinga, Apayao, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Masbate, Aklan (Boracay) and Antique are under this type.

Type IV: Areas under this type have evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. Bohol, Leyte, Western Samar, Quezon Province, Aurora, Batanes, and the Pacific side of Cagayan and Isabela fall under this type.

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Typhoons

If there’s one to watch out for and must call off your planned vacation, then no other else but typhoon. The Philippines is visited by an average of 20 typhoons a year. Typhoon season starts as early as May and usually lasts up to December.

Most devastating and super typhoons occur from October to December.

Due also to geographical differences, not all areas in the Philippines are directly hit by typhoons. In fact the southern part of the Archipelago (Mindanao) is nearly free from cyclones, as storms are rare in the area and account only for 5 percent of the storms that cross the Archipelago.

The southern islands in the Visayan Archipelago (Panay, Negros, Bohol, Guimaras and Cebu) are also rarely direct hits of cyclones.

Areas that are frequently visited by typhoons include those in the Eastern Visayas, and the entire Luzon landmass, specially in the Bicol peninsula, Catanduanes, Polilio Islands, Eastern Luzon provinces of Aurora, Quezon, Isabela, Cagayan, and Batanes.

The typhoon winds can generate speeds of more than 130 km/hour with the actual typhoon moving at a speed across the water and coastal lowlands close to 25km/hour. So you can imagine the destruction they can cause in rural communities where housing is made from local produce.

There are three levels of typhoon activity of intensities. 1, 2 and 3, with 1 being the weakest of the three.

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24/7 Weather Radar Systeem !!!

You can go to this webside and you will see a 24/7 radar showing realtime data of the phillippines weather.

Very usefull when your there or leaving from any place to go to the phillippines to see how the weather is like , on the webside it self you can also look up any specific region you need to be at to see what the temp will be and if it will be dry or not.

You can also keep track of incoming and out going Typhoons !!!!

http://nl.weather-fo...=none&type=wind

Greetz , Stealth

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Most devastating and super typhoons occur from October to December.

Due also to geographical differences, not all areas in the Philippines are directly hit by typhoons. In fact the southern part of the Archipelago (Mindanao) is nearly free from cyclones, as storms are rare in the area and account only for 5 percent of the storms that cross the Archipelago.

There are three levels of typhoon activity of intensities. 1, 2 and 3, with 1 being the weakest of the three.

Just in case anyone is wondering, there are no subtle differences between typhoons, cyclones, and hurricanes. It's just a matter of geographical nomenclature.

In the USA hurricane intensity ranges from Cat (category) 1 to 5 with the 1 being the weakest of the five. The peak month is the States is generally September.

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  • 2 months later...

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

MANILA (Updated 9 a.m.) -- Typhoon "Pablo" (international codename Bopha) further weakened Wednesday while moving toward Northern Palawan, but at least 22 areas remain under public storm warning signals, the state weather bureau said.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) forecaster Chris Perez said that as of 6 a.m. Wednesday, Pablo was located at 140 kilometers east of Puerto Princesa City.

The typhoon’s wind strength slightly weakened from 160 kilometers per hour (kph) Tuesday afternoon to 130 kph, while its gustiness also decreased from 195 kph to 160 kph.

Perez said the diameter of the typhoon was also reduced from 500 kilometers (km) to 400 km.

He said Pablo is forecast to move west northwest at 24 kph while maintaining its speed in the next 24 hours. It would likely exit the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) via the West Philippine Sea by Thursday morning or afternoon.

As the typhoon continues to move toward Palawan, some parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will experience light rains due to rain bands of Pablo and its enhancement of the northeast monsoon.

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"In less than five hours tatama ang bagyo sa Palawan at sa kanyang bilis inaasahan na ito lalabas ng bansa patungong West Philippine Sea by Thursday," Perez said.

Pagasa said Northern Palawan and Calamian Group of islands are under public storm signal number 3. Winds of 101-185 kph are expected in at least 18 hours in these areas.

Under public storm warning signal number 2, with 61-100 kph of winds, were the rest of Palawan, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Bohol, Siquijor, Southern Cebu, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental.

Public storm warning signal number 1 (30-60 kph winds) was hoisted over Occidental Mindoro, Lubang Island, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Aklan, Capiz, Rest of Cebu, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte and Camiguin.

Pagasa warned residents living in low lying and mountainous areas under public storm warning signals against possible flashfloods and landslides.

Likewise, residents in coastal areas under public storm warning signal 2 and signal 3 were alerted against big waves or storm surges generated by Pablo.

Pagasa expects 10 to 18 millimeters per hour of rainfall within the 400-km diameter of the typhoon, which is still classified as “heavy to intense.”

Pagasa also advised fishing boats and other small seacraft not to venture out into the seaboards of Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. (PNA/Sunnex)

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I suppose that their political system and national religion don't really fit under the heading "Natural Disasters".

But, given those two plus being on the Pacific rim of Fire plus being slap bang in the path of typhoons every year, it is amazing just how happy Philippinos tend to be. It does help to put our own problems into perspective.

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They are so acclimated towards things going wrong, natural or societal, that they have a strong "live for today" attitude, since tomorrow may be the end.

The irony is that Davao, where the typhoon hit, has always advertised itself as being out of the typhoon zone.

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@Hefe

Looking back at my phillipino friends and ladyboy`s i can say that i see a slight mindset toward what your saying ( Live for Today )only at the poor pino level , but most of the middle class and rich dont think that way at all....

Your right Davao has alway`s advertise it self as a typhoon free zone , aldo you can see over the course of years that the weather patterns is changing slightly , but still a very safe place to be and live at.

I was reading yesterday a interesting comment that a weather official made that lives in Davao.

Mindanao Typhoon Free ????

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

THE last time I can recall Mindanao, specifically Davao, was hit by a typhoon was about 40 years or so ago.

Typhoon "Titang" circa late 1960's veered its course and slammed the coastal towns of Davao del Sur, including Davao City. I was a new reporter of the Mindanao Times then just fresh from college.

Mindanao is traditionally "outside the typhoon" belt. Although typhoons are born in the Pacific Ocean east of the island, they start their westerly course northwards and always miss us. In fact, Mindanao boasts of its comparative advantage in agriculture in that we are immune and free from typhoons. But not over this weekend.

Typhoon "Sendong" hit northern Mindanao and up this time, Cagayan de Oro, the hardest hit, is still reeling from the shock.

LUCKY. I called up our relatives in Cagayan de Oro City as I knew their house was built near the river. My uncle, the late Felimon Dureza, was a retired bus driver of the Jesuit's Xavier University and I was told that the university helped the family with a lot for a home in Barangay Carmen. The house just disappeared with the rushing waters.

Our lucky cousins saved themselves, 10 of them, including small children, by climbing a big mango tree that was just outside the window. The house was shattered and they clung for dear lives on the branches until they were rescued. I am sure countless horror stories will start filtering out when the smoke clears.

Next a update of the typhoons that hit The Phillippines during the course of this ending year 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Pacific_typhoon_season

Greetz , Stealth

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  • 8 months later...

Philippines Floods Shut Markets, Offices for Second Day

 

At least eight people were killed and more than 100,000 fled their homes amid heavy rains for a third day that swamped as much as 60 percent of the Philippine capital and nearby provinces.

Forty one are injured and four are missing as torrential rains overflowed dams and rivers and triggered landslides in provinces in the biggest island of Luzon, according to the latest bulletin of the disaster and risk-reduction agency. At least 20 percent of the Manila region remains submerged as of 7 p.m. from as much as 60 percent around midday, Office of Civil Defense spokesman Major Rey Balido said by phone.

President Benigno Aquino suspended work in government offices in Manila for a second day, prompting Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and exchanges to keep currency, bonds and stock markets closed. Five provinces including Cavite and Laguna have declared a state of calamity. Mayor Strike Revilla of Bacoor in Cavite, south of Manila, said the flooding in his town is worse than 2009 when typhoon Ketsana swamped Luzon and killed more than 400. A road leading to Aquino’s office was flooded, Aquino spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.

The monsoon rain is being enhanced by storm Trami, located 540 kilometers (336 miles) east of the northern province of Batanes as of 4 p.m. The Philippines, regularly battered by cyclones, topped a list of 10 countries most affected by natural disasters in 2012, with 2,360 deaths, according to a report by Brussels-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. Trami is forecast to head to Taiwan tomorrow.

Passenger vessel M/V Super Shuttle Ferry 10 encountered engine trouble after leaving the Bogo pier in Cebu and ran aground after it was dragged by strong monsoon winds, coast guard station commander Winiel Azcuna said. All 63 passengers were rescued, he said. On the Aug. 16 sea collision in Cebu, the worst Philippine maritime disaster in five years, 65 are confirmed dead, Azcuna said.

 

‘Shocking’

 

The weather bureau kept the rainfall alert at orange, the second-highest in a three-color scale as of 7:30 p.m., warning of “heavy to intense rain” and flooding.

“The extent of the coverage is shocking; there are torrential rains even in Ilocos Sur and Laguna,” Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, told local radio DZMM. “After 3 days, the ground is saturated, a little rain will trigger floods.”

The current monsoon dumped 174 millimeters of water for 24 hours yesterday compared with 323 millimeters in August 2012 when almost half of the Manila region was submerged, Meno Mendoza, a government weather forecaster said in a phone interview. Typhoon Ketsana brought 455 millimeters of rain over a comparable 24-hour period, he said.

 

Latest Bulletin

 

Of the 131,000 who fled their homes, almost 41,000 are in evacuation centers and more than 90,000 people stayed with friends and relatives as floodwaters rose, while 32 homes were destroyed, according to the risk-reduction agency.

Roads leading to the airport were flooded earlier today, prompting the cancellation of 162 local and international flights, according to disaster agency’s latest report.

The La Mesa Dam overflowed and three other dams neared spilling level, the government’s 6 p.m. bulletin showed.

A mandatory evacuation was ordered near the Marikina river, one of the worst hit during Ketsana in 2009, after the water swelled to critical level, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said in a televised briefing. Sirens were sounded to ask residents to move to evacuation centers, according to a DZMM radio report.

Floods were as high as four feet in parts of Bulacan, north of the capital and in the city of Manila, some streets were submerged from waist down. In Cavite, Revilla said 50 of 73 villages are flooded up to chest level.

Video footage by ABS-CBN Corp. (ABS) show people trapped on their roofs or wading through floodwaters. Portions of the 24-kilometer Epifanio de los Santos Avenue that connects the capital to north and south provinces were submerged in waist-level water earlier today.

 

Cash Withdrawals

 

Bangko Sentral will service cash withdrawals of banks tomorrow during a public holiday so lenders can replenish their automated teller machines, Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla said in a statement. Lenders like Bank of the Philippine Islands, BDO Unibank Inc. (BDO) and Security Bank Corp. (SECB) said they opened branches not affected by flooding.

At least 15 people were killed a year ago when torrential rains flooded the Manila region and halted trading for a day on Aug. 7. Philippine Stock Exchange Chief Operating Officer Roel Refran told Bloomberg Television it’s been some time since the equities market faced such disruption.

“Two days in a row is totally extraordinary,” he said.

When trading resumes on Aug. 22, the exchange is prepared should share prices track the decline in the region, Refran said. Financial markets and offices are shut nationwide tomorrow for a holiday.

“The floods were deeper last year, but this current monsoon covered a wider area,” Balido said.

 

Bloomberg News:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-20/philippines-shuts-markets-offices-for-second-day-on-flooding.html

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I have been getting on very well with a lass/girly boy from Manila for the last few months (she reminds me of Ning when she worked at the Corner Bar) and she told me shes not been able to go out because of the rain since Saturday.

 

I saw a report on the BBC News earlier on the floods and it looks pretty damm bad over there due to the typhoon season.

 

Hope my sweety will be ok because Im hoping to pay a visit there in November

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 I have been talking to a lady from Cebu for over 13 months. Last night she shaved her privates in front of me. But in all this time she has not asked me for a single $$$.

 

You'll get the bill for the Gillettes eventually.  :biggrin:

 

Do you actually watch someone shave themselves on the internet???? Hmmmmm, another first. 

 

Then again, perhaps not.

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In the eye of the storm....

 

Well…….its rained a great deal, like really a GREAT DEAL.  Pretty much non-stop from Saturday evening through to last night.  As I write there are still intermittent down-pours lasting for a few minutes. Then it clears up for a short while and starts over again.

 

Worst of the flooding, as the rain took its toll, was from Monday night to Tuesday lunchtime.  In the main the waters are now receding but there are of course plenty of places still suffering.  Much of the main part of Manila was hit to varying degrees (from ankle deep waters to chest deep and above)  but the worst affected areas appear to be the provinces directly to the South (and neighboring the Capital) Cavite, Laguna, Calumba etc etc.  talk of waters six feet deep and above not uncommon there.

 

As is usually the case those worst hit are often those living in the poorer parts of the city where housing and squatter camps stand shoulder to shoulder, often on the sides of riverbanks, where infrastructure is poor and normal living conditions are at best cramped and just about tolerable.

 

Wealthier areas like Makati and much of Fort Bonifacio faced less issues (though some still caught it very badly) as drainage and run-off is better planned. Continued investment in these two main business and upscale residential hubs also means that flooding is less prevalent here.

 

Manila and surrounding areas often flood and the reasons are long and complicated but in the main are due to it being a lowland area with large bodies of fresh and sea water immediately adjacent, the build up of squatter and shanty towns along all the rivers in the capital means that water flows are often blocked and congested so the water constantly spills away and over the river banks, crap urban planning means that water run off areas have disappeared and concrete covers everything where once there were fields and forests.

 

To be fair as well, the sheer volume of rain that has fallen would make it difficult for any city to cope with.  Whatever you put it down to, weather patterns have changed over the past decade or so and at least one a year there is now rainfall on a level and scale that would be hard to imagine a while back.

 

Anyways, City is slowly getting back on its feet now, it’s a Public Holiday today and all schools, offices, shops etc are expected to open tomorrow as per norm.  Headline news though is that on Luzon Island (the one which Manila sits on) nearly 1.0m people affected some, in outer provinces, with water still running through their homes. It’s worth sparing a thought for them.

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Any updates on the situation in Baguio?

Haven't heard from a couple of friends there, following last typhoon.

Appreciate local update

Thanks

 

Woofer, I would suspect that it's been pretty wet and a bit windy up in Baguio but not flooded.  City lies in a highland area and though there are isolated cases of flooding its not something the City is prone to.  No mention on local TV or press about any dire circumstances up there either.  I'm sure your friends will be OK.  Fingers crossed.

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  • 2 months later...

This was the message 13 hours ago off one of the Pinoy girls I will be meeting next week...

 

"ahahah yah her name is yolanda .. nice fucking name >__<

i think she will arriving later at midnight or morning 1-6am??

but dont worry she will be the last on this years
and usually typhoon only staying 1or2days longer is 3days


like u .. u only staying here for 3days/nights
u are my typhoon in my world LOL"

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Should be OK Sam.

 

This morning it is headed for central VN, winds still 145 km/hr gusting up to 175, making landfall late on Sunday, some 600 or so km north of where I live. We will still get heavy rain and some wind, but if that forecast holds we should be OK.

 

However I fear central VN will do worse than the PI, for their preparations are unknown and there is really nowhere to evacuate to. That is the thinnest part of VN, only about 50 km from coast to Laos. Maybe they could all pack up and cross the border, ha!

 

I don't mean to sound flippant. This is a cause for serious concern.

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TACLOBAN CITY – This city was in ruins on Saturday, a day after being ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), one of the strongest typhoons on record, as horrified residents spoke of storm surges as high as trees and authorities said they were expecting a "very high number of fatalities."

 

Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said that the agency field staff in Eastern Visayas region estimated the death toll was about 1,000, however, Pang said that it was "just an estimate."

At least 138 people were confirmed dead, the national disaster agency reported on Saturday.

The typhoon slammed into Visayas on Friday, wiping away buildings and leveling seaside homes. At least 118 of the confirmed deaths were on hardest-hit Leyte, where Tacloban is located, said national disaster agency spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, who arrived in Tacloban on Saturday, said it was too early to know how many people had died in the storm, which was heading toward Vietnam after moving away from the Philippines.

"The rescue operation is ongoing. We expect a very high number of fatalities as well as injured," Roxas said. "All systems, all vestiges of modern living — communications, power, water — all are down. Media is down, so there is no way to communicate with the people in a mass sort of way."

 

President Benigno Aquino III said the casualties "will be substantially more," but gave no figure or estimate.

Aquino said the government's priority was to restore power and communications in isolated areas to allow for the delivery of relief and medical assistance to victims.

Aquino is set to visit Tacloban today, Sunday, with P16-billion worth of savings to fund the affected residents along the storm-hit areas in the Visayas.

The President, during the meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo, said the government will get the funding for the damages sustained in Eastern Visayas from the various funds of savings such as contingency fund, lump sum fund, presidential social funds, and calamity fund.

He said that about a billion peso will come from the calamity and contingency funds, while P6-billion will come from the Presidential Social funds.

Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon said the agency and its partners were preparing for a major relief effort "because of the magnitude of the disaster."

 

The airport in Tacloban, a city of 200,000 located about 580 kilometers (360 miles) southeast of Manila, looked like a muddy wasteland of debris Saturday, with crumpled tin roofs and upturned cars. The airport tower's glass windows were shattered, and air force helicopters were busy flying in and out at the start of relief operations.

"The devastation is, I don't have the words for it," Roxas said. "It's really horrific. It's a great human tragedy."

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Aquino was "speechless" when he told him of the devastation the typhoon had wrought in Tacloban.

"I told him all systems are down," Gazmin said. "There is no power, no water, nothing. People are desperate. They're looting."

US Marine Colonel Mike Wylie surveyed the damage in Tacloban prior to possible American assistance. "The storm surge came in fairly high and there is significant structural damage and trees blown over," said Wylie, who is a member of the US-Philippines Military Assistance Group based in Manila.

The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said in a message to Aquino that the EC had sent a team to assist the Philippine authorities and that "we stand ready to contribute with urgent relief and assistance if so required in this hour of need."

 

Weather officials said Haiyan had sustained winds of 235 kilometers per hour (147 miles per hour), with gusts of 275 kph (170 mph), when it made landfall. By those measurements, Haiyan would be comparable to a strong Category 4 hurricane in the US, and nearly in the top category, a 5 Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are the same, but have different names in different parts of the world.

One Tacloban resident said he and others took refuge inside a parked jeep to protect themselves from the storm, but the vehicle was swept away by a surging wall of water.

"The water was as high as a coconut tree," said 44-year-old Sandy Torotoro, a bicycle taxi driver who lives near the airport with his wife and 8-year-old daughter. "I got out of the jeep and I was swept away by the rampaging water with logs, trees and our house, which was ripped off from its mooring."

"When we were being swept by the water, many people were floating and raising their hands and yelling for help. But what can we do? We also needed to be helped," Torotoro said.

In Torotoro's village, bodies could be seen lying along the muddy main road, as residents who had lost their homes huddled, holding on to the few things they had managed to save. The road was lined with trees that had fallen to the ground.

Vice Mayor Jim Pe of Coron town on Busuanga, the last island battered by the typhoon before it blew away to the South China Sea, said most of the houses and buildings there had been destroyed or damaged. Five people drowned in the storm surge and three others were missing, he said by phone.

 

"It was like a 747 flying just above my roof," he said, describing the sound of the winds. He said his family and some of his neighbors whose houses were destroyed took shelter in his basement.

Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN showed fierce winds whipping buildings and vehicles as storm surges swamped Tacloban with debris-laden floodwaters.

In the aftermath of the storm, people were seen weeping while retrieving bodies of loved ones inside buildings and on a street that was littered with fallen trees, roofing material and other building parts torn off in the typhoon's fury. All that was left of one large building whose walls were smashed in were the skeletal remains of its rafters.

Many packed evacuation centers collapsed in Tacloban as the typhoon raged, a police official said. He said he saw a popular mall being looted Saturday by residents who carted away anything they can lay their hands on, including a flat-screen TV, a small refrigerator, food items, clothes and even a Christmas tree. Smaller shops with guards brandishing their pistols were spared, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

ABS-CBN television anchor Ted Failon, who was able to report only briefly Friday from Tacloban, said the storm surge was "like the tsunami in Japan."

 

"The sea engulfed Tacloban," he said, explaining that a major part of the city is surrounded on three sides by the waters between Leyte and Samar islands.

The Philippine television station GMA reported that its news team saw 11 bodies, including that of a child, washed ashore Friday and 20 more bodies at a pier in Tacloban hours after the typhoon ripped through the coastal city.

At least 20 more bodies were taken to a church in nearby Palo town that was used as an evacuation center but had to be abandoned when its roofs were blown away, the TV network reported. TV images showed howling winds peeling off tin roof sheets during heavy rain.

Ferocious winds felled large branches and snapped coconut trees. A man was shown carrying the body of his 6-year-old daughter who had drowned, and another image showed vehicles piled up in debris.

Nearly 800,000 people were forced to flee their homes and damage was believed to be extensive. About 4 million people were affected by the typhoon, the national disaster agency said.

Relief workers said they were struggling to find ways to deliver food and other supplies, with roads blocked by landslides and fallen trees.

 

Tim Ticar, a local tourism officer, said 6,000 foreign and local tourists were stranded on the popular resort island of Boracay, one of the tourist spots in the typhoon's path.

Meanwhile, the government of the United States expressed condolences to Filipinos, which was the recipient of the wrath of Yolanda.

In a statement, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the Americans are one with Filipinos in mourning over the devastation caused by Yolanda.

“On behalf of the people of the United States, I offer our deepest condolences and solidarity as you wrestle with the devastation and loss of life that accompanied Super Typhoon Haiyan,” said Kerry.

The government of China also condoles with the Filipinos.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the massive destruction caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda. We'd like to express our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the victims and the families that have suffered immense losses of lives and properties,” said Chinese Embassy Spokesman Hua Zhang.

In Twitter, Pope Francis asked everyone to join him in prayer for the typhoon victims in the country.

 

The storm's sustained winds weakened Saturday to 163 kph (101 mph) with stronger gusts as it blew farther away from the Philippines toward Vietnam.

Haiyan was forecast to hit central Vietnam's coast on Sunday afternoon, making its way to the northern part of the country before likely weakening to a tropical storm.

Vietnamese authorities in four central provinces were evacuating more than 500,000 people from high-risk areas to government buildings, schools and other concrete homes able to withstand strong winds.

"The evacuation is being conducted with urgency," disaster official Nguyen Thi Yen Linh said from central Danang City, where some 76,000 were being moved to safety.

Hundreds of thousands of others were being taken to shelters in the provinces of Quang Ngai, Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue. Schools were closed and two deputy prime ministers were sent to the region to direct the preparations

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