Typhoon Hagupit/Ruby developed on
29th November and gained its typhoon status on 2nd December 2014 . Hagupit developed
into a Category 5 storm on 4th December with maximum sustained wind
speeds of 290 km/h (180 mph) and recorded pressure 905 mbar. When the typhoon first
made landfall over Eastern Samar on 6th December
it was a Category 3. It then weakened and was downgraded to a Category 2 when
it made landfall over Cataingan, Masbate on 7th December, Torrijos, Marinduque and
San Juan, Batangas on 8th December.
In preparation a million people were evacuated from vulnerable regions in
the Philippines. 183 flights were cancelled and five airports were also closed,
some of which remained closed. According to reports, 1 million people are
currently in 687 evacuation centres.
Hagupit is the fourth Category 5
typhoon of the year in the Western Pacific. Although the typhoon was forecast
to make landfall as a Category 5 super typhoon, fortunately it weakened to a
Category 3 before it first made landfall.
Even as a much weaker typhoon,
Hagupit has left a trail of devastation across some regions of the Philippines.
There have been 27 confirmed fatalities so far, of which 18 were on the island
of Samar. It is feared that the
death toll may rise as response teams reach remote regions over the next few
days.
The typhoon has destroyed 1000
homes, uprooted trees, caused floods, landslides and power outages. 17
provinces across Visayas and Luzon remain without power
and many areas have limited communication. The eastern island
of Samar has been the worse hit.
According to reports 80% of homes in the town of Dolores
on the island have been destroyed.
Hagupit has now been downgraded
to a tropical storm and is travelling at 13 km/h westwards over the Philippines.
It is likely to bring further disruption including destructive wind, heavy
rainfall, floods and landslides as it travels through the country.
The full extent of the damage is
currently unknown and will become clear as assessments are carried out over the
next few days.
Source: Earth Observatory
Source: BBC
Source: BBC
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