‘Violent’ Yolanda to hit 5M people hardest

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MANILA, Philippines – Super typhoon Yolanda (international codename Haiyan) will make a landfall in Eastern Samar at 5 am Friday, November 8, and will directly hit 9 other provinces before it exits the Philippines.

Around 5 million people live in the mostly impoverished areas along the path of Yolanda, which the Japan Meteorological Agency characterized as “violent” in intensity.

An estimated 54 million residents will be affected in the 40 provinces and regions, including the Philippine capital of Metro Manila, that will be within Yolanda’s reach.

As of 10 pm Thursday, state weather bureau PAGASA said, Yolanda was 290 kilometers southeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

It is expected to make landfall at said town before traversing Biliran, the northern tip of Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Romblon, Semirara Island, the southern part of Mindoro, and Busuanga, before exiting the Philippine landmass on Saturday morning.

PAGASA predicted that the super typhoon will be packing maximum sustained winds of 225 kilometers per hour, with gustiness of 260 kph.

Monitoring by foreign weather monitoring agencies, however, showed a stronger Yolanda than predicted by PAGASA.

A Japanese agency’s advisory Thursday afternoon said the “violent” cyclone packed sustained maximum winds of 231 kph, with gustiness 324 kph.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center of the US Navy and Air Force said late Thursday evening Manila time that Yolanda was approaching the Visayas with maximum sustained winds of 305 kph and gustiness of 370 kph.

It predicted a slightly weaker typhoon in the next 12 hours – maximum sustained winds of 277 kph and gustiness of 333 kph – but still stronger than the PAGASA forecast.

In a study, the Manila Observatory explained the difference in the predictions: JTWC records wind speeds at 1-minute average while PAGASA reports it at 10-minute average.

Said to be the strongest storm this year, Yolanda brings an estimated rainfall amount of 10 to 33 millimeters per hour which PAGASA classifies as heavy to intense.

More provinces under Signal No. 4

In its latest bulletin, PAGASA placed 3 more provinces – Masbate, Northern Samar, and the northern part of Iloilo – under signal number 4, bringing to 12 the total of seriously threatened provinces:

• Eastern Samar
• Samar
• Leyte
• Southern Leyte
• Biliran
• Extreme Northern Cebu including Bantayan Island
• Capiz
• Aklan
• Northern Antique
• Northern Samar
• Northern Iloilo
• Masbate

They will experience winds with speeds of more than 185 kph in the next 12 hours.

Areas under signal number 3 (winds of 101 to 185 km/h within 18 hours) are:

Luzon

• Ticao Island
• Sorsogon
• Romblon
• Calamian Group of Islands

Visayas

• Rest of Antique
• Rest of Iloilo
• Guimaras
• Northern Negros Occidental
• Northern Negros Oriental
• Bohol
• Northern Cebu including Cebu City and Camotes Island

Mindanao

• Siargao Island
• Dinagat Province

Areas under signal number 2 (winds of 61 to 100 km/h within 24 hours):

Luzon

• Mindoro Provinces
• Marinduque
• Albay
• Extreme Northern Palawan
• Burias Islands

Visayas

• Rest of Negros Occidental
• Rest of Negros Oriental
• Siquijor
• Rest of Cebu

Mindanao

• Camiguin
• Surigao Del Norte
• Surigao Del Sur
• Agusan Del Norte

Areas under signal number 1 (winds of 30 to 60 km/h within 36 hours)

Luzon

• Metro Manila
• Bataan
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Catanduanes
• Southern Quezon
• Laguna
• Rizal
• Cavite
• Batangas
• Lubang Island
• Rest of Northern Palawan including Puerto Princesa

Mindanao

• Misamis Oriental
• Agusan Del Sur

– Rappler.com