Typhoon in the Philippines 2011
Report
In late September, 2011 a powerful typhoon struck the Philippines. The typhoon was
named Nesat, and was the first of two to strike the Philippines within a week’s period, the second
being Nelgae. The typhoon hit initially killing four people under a collapsed wall with winds of
121 mph. By the evening on September 27, at least 7 were dead, and flash flooding was causing
people to evacuate. The ferry and flight systems were also shut down leaving thousands stranded,
unable to evacuate. The Manila Electric Company was shut down, leaving 1.9 million customers
without electricity, which is roughly 39 percent of the company’s customers. On September 28
the death toll was put at 18, with the number missing 35. The National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council chief Benito Ramos said "We are focusing on trying to get power and
telecommunications services today, and work crews have also fanned out to repair and clear 61
road networks across Luzon damaged by landslides, debris and floods.” The high level storm
surges flooded a major hospital in Manila, as well as a 5-star hotel and the US embassy. Among
the hardest hit provinces were Isabela and Aurora where most of the population was directly
dependent on Agriculture. Much of their crop was destroyed with the flooding, although many
of the deaths that occurred happened in the metropolitan areas, which by the end of the 28th had
risen to 31 people. At that time, the first figures of the total estimated damage to agriculture and
infrastructure started coming up and were put at 1 billion pesos (22.8 million U.S. dollars). The
Philippine Department of Health, which is the executive department of the Philippine
Government responsible for ensuring access to basic public health services to all Filipinos
prepared medical supplies including 2.9 million pesos (66,360 U.S. dollars) worth of food and
emergency supplies so that they can be distributed among the victims when the flood water
recedes. The typhoon in its peak had reached wind speeds of 170 km/h, and had a diameter of
400 miles. The twin storms stranded many people atop rooftops where they were rescued days
later when food and water rescue efforts were engaged. Because of the flooding, disease was
spread much quicker than normal.
As Nesat neared the Philippines, the Philippine government ordered the evacuation of
residents living in low-lying areas, cancelled flights and suspended classes on all levels. By the
morning of September 26, some 111,000 people in the flood-prone areas of the Albay province
were ordered to leave their homes. Nearly 63 flights were either delayed or cancelled due to the
storm. The provinces of Albay, Catanduanes and the Camarines were placed under storm
warning Signal Number 2 while the provinces of Metro Manila, Masbate, Marinduque, Batangas,
Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga and a most of the Northern Luzon provinces were placed under
storm warning Signal Number 1. Even though Manila was placed in Storm Signal 2 (which
suspends Pre-school, Elementary, and High school levels only), many universities suspended
classes. On September 26, an image from Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), a
multi-channel microwave radiometer installed on meteorological satellites depicted that Nesat
developed an eye like feature approximately 259 miles northeast of Manila. At that time, it had a
1-min sustained wind speed of 92 mph with deep convection primarily over the western
semicircle of the system. The system rapidly deepened and quickly developed a 35 milre ragged
eye and mesoscale anticyclone aloft generating a strong outflow. The storm categorized as a
level 4 cyclone.
The main areas hit by the typhoon were Manila, Isabela, and Aurora. Manila is a highly
populated area, where most deaths occurred. The harder hit provinces like Isabela and Aurora
are heavily reliant on agriculture, and were effected worse by the flooding than the surrounding
areas. Many of the residents live in shantytowns and had to be evacuated to nearby schools to
take shelter. The area only had 4 boats in order to evacuate people, making the initial process
slow, as many had to wait to be taken to shelter.
After hitting the Philippines, Nesat moved on to China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The
effects of Nesat were less strong here, as China had a warning system in place, and knew the
storm was coming. Power was shut off to over 15,000 customers due to strong winds, and
damages to roads, billboards, and rooftops caused damaged estimated around 900 million US
dollars. Overall Nesat had affected over an estimated 3.77 million people.
Analysis
Forecast/Predictions: The storm began to form on September 21st and was able to be predicted by
the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The Public was warned only days before the typhoon hit,
and the government ordered people in low lying areas to evacuate to higher ground, and flights
were canceled. China prepared with flood response measures to cope with the storm, and teams
were sent into the more prevalent areas to help governments and people prepare. Overall the
systems seem to prepare the countries as best as possible, and the damages that were taken were
inevitable.
Risk Analysis: The areas that were affected by the Typhoon are in a high tropical storm area, and
were hit only a year prior by a strong typhoon. The Philippines have built storm walls and seem
to have a strong warning system in place, but lack the resources to prepare.
Linkages: The geography of the Philippines directly contributes to the disaster. Being an island,
it is much more susceptible to tropical storms, and does little to stop the storms once they have
started. The typhoon caused heavy flash floods and very high wind storms.
Disaster-Catastrophe: Human activity did little or nothing to effect this disaster, which wasn’t
considered a catastrophe.
Preparedness/Mitigation: In the areas that were hit by the typhoon, storm walls had been built,
and warning systems had been put in place, but little had been done to protect, which little could
have been done. Much of the areas that were hit took heavy building and road damage, which
shows that more could be done to improve the integrity of the structures, but being a poorer
country, such improvements might be beyond the capabilities they have.
Bibliography
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15070550
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Nesat_%282011%29
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http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/asia-pacific/philippines/philippinesred-cross-emergency-teams-respond-as-powerful-typhoon-nesat-exits-and-tropical-stormnalgae-looms-/