Typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines with winds
of 195mph
Floodwaters
Debris
A province
Catastrophic
Tropical cyclone, hurricane, typhoon
To make landfall
To evacuate
A category five storm
To overturn
To barrel through ~
Archipelago
A gust (of wind)
A shelter
Scattered
Storm-proof
To suck out
Sheer
Meteorology
To dub
To rip off
Galvanized iron
To put on alert
Cargo plane
To be on standby
To bring someone to his or her knees
1. How does this storm compare with previous ones?
2. How strong are the winds?
3. What kind of damage is predicted?
4. What have people in Leyte and Samar done?
5. What kinds of damage have occurred there?
6. What course is predicted for the typhoon?
7. What was the strongest typhoon to date?
8. What may happen to storm-proof buildings?
9. What is the storm dubbed as in the Philippines?
10. What damage was there in Eastern Samar?
11. What is the prediction for Manila?
12. In what ways has Aquino prepared for the typhoon?
13. What damage was caused by typhoon Bopha?
14. What is the predicted course of the typhoon once it passes the Philipinnes?
Enormous storm predicted to be largest ever recorded, topping hurricane Camille in 1969, hits
north Pacific.
Floodwaters carry debris through the streets of Tacloban city, Leyte province, as typhoon Haiyan
hits the Philippines. Photograph: Reuters
Typhoon Haiyan has hit the Philippines with winds of 195mph, with experts saying "catastrophic
damage" will result from what is predicted to be the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall
in recorded history.
Thousands of people have been evacuated and thousands more have fled their homes as the
category five storm sent waves as high as 5m (15ft) ashore on the islands of Leyte and Samar in
the central Philippines, overturning powerlines and leaving streets knee-deep in water.
Haiyan – the Philippines' 25th typhoon so far this year – is expected to barrel through the
archipelago close to Cebu, the nation's second-largest city and home to around 2.5 million people.
With speeds at landfall of 195mph and gusts of up to 235mph, Haiyan is believed to be stronger
than the world's last strongest tropical cyclone, hurricane Camille, which was recorded in the US
at 190mph in 1969.
Although schools and offices have been closed and roughly a million people are in shelters
scattered around 20 provinces, Haiyan's powerful winds could potentially blow off the roofs of
storm-proof buildings and suck out their walls due to the sheer force of its energy, experts have
said.
"There aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind," meteorology
expert Jeff Masters told the Associated Press of Haiyan's 195mph landfall. "The wind damage
should be the most extreme in Philippines history."
The storm – which is dubbed Yolanda in the Philippines – ripped iron roofs off buildings and
threw trees across roads, cutting out power to entire provinces, particularly around the storm's
centre in Eastern Samar province.
"We've been hearing from my colleagues in [the city of] Tacloban that they've seen galvanised
iron sheets flying just like kites," Mai Zamora, of the charity World Vision, told the BBC. "It's
actually all around the roads now. The roads are flooded in Tacloban."
Haiyan is expected to miss Manila, although the capital may get heavy rain and winds and has
been put on low-level alert.
President Benigno Aquino III said three cargo planes, 20 navy ships and 32 military planes and
helicopters were on standby for rescue operations and to provide relief. "No typhoon can bring
Filipinos to their knees if we'll be united," he said in a televised address.
Typhoon Bopha in 2013 destroyed much of the southern islands, killing about 1,100 people and
causing over $1bn worth of damage.
Haiyan is expected to lessen by Saturday as it moves towards the South China Sea, where
Vietnam, Laos and China are in its potential path.