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typhoon

Typhoon Kalmaegi Devastates Philippines And Vietnam, Killing Nearly 200

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Typhoon Kalmaegi has devastated both the Philippines and Vietnam, killing nearly 200 people. According to recent figures from both nations, at least 188 people died in the Philippines and five in Vietnam. 

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The storm is now thought to be heading to Cambodia and Laos after it tore through Vietnam on Thursday with wind speeds reaching up to 92 miles-per-hour, the BBC reports. 

Vietnam’s central coast experienced uprooted trees, destroyed homes and buildings, and debris everywhere. Citizens have flocked to take shelter in schools and other public buildings while the army is deployed to help take on the damage. 

Authorities in Vietnam have also warned residents of potential flooding in certain areas. This past week alone central Vietnam has experienced extreme rainfall that led to the deaths of 50 people.

The Philippines were also hit with heavy rainfall, leading to landslides in residential areas. Many low-income neighborhoods were destroyed by flash flooding, and the death toll on Friday was reported to be 188 with another 135 people listed as missing. 

The Philippines government declared a state of calamity across the nation, and they’re already gearing up for another typhoon which is currently building up in the Pacific Ocean. 

In preparation for Typhoon Kalmaegi, Vietnam also deployed their military this week with more than 260,000 soldiers and personnel for relief efforts with over 6,700 vehicles and aircrafts prepared to help with recovery efforts. 

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Airports, expressways, and other transportation services throughout the country were closed with hundreds of thousands of citizens being evacuated. Dak Lak province experienced a major influx in calls for help from hundreds of residents when the typhoon first made landfall. 

According to local media reports in Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted an online meeting in order to organize and coordinate emergency services and response teams. 

“We must reach isolated areas and ensure people have food, drinking water, and essential supplies,” he said. “No one should be left hungry or cold.”

In the Philippines, tens of thousands were evacuated mainly from central areas including Cebu, a populous island and tourist destination. Cars were swept through the streets and flooding devastated the area. 

The Typhoon was reported to have dumped the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain on the island within 24 hours. 

Residents are now starting to clean up their neighborhoods from mud, trees, and overall wreckage. 

The BBC reported: “Early on Thursday, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of emergency, the threshold of which involves mass casualty, major damage to property, and disruption to means of livelihoods and the normal way of life for people in the affected areas.”

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2 Million Evacuated In Southern China As Typhoon Ragasa Unleashes Deadly Flooding In Taiwan

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Around 2 million people in southern China have been evacuated as an intense typhoon makes its way through one of the most populated coasts in the world. Deadly flooding from Typhoon Ragasa has already taken over Taiwan and killed at least 17 people.

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Typhoon Hagibis Leaves Japan Devastated With One of The Biggest Storms They’ve Ever Seen

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The tropical storm known as ‘Typhoon Hagibis’ touched down in Japan this past Saturday, and left behind a path of total destruction. The death toll has reached 72 so far, and thousands are still left without any heat, power, or running water. According to CNN, the storm is one of the strongest the country has seen in years, so much so that over 110,000 individuals from the fire department, police, military, etc. have been sent to Japan strictly for search and rescue purposes.

Videos from the horrific scenes near Tokyo, where the Typhoon first hit land, have been shared all around social media showing the devastation. One video shows a family of four clinging to each other while being swept away in a flash flood, another of a massive bridge collapsing, killing many. Typhoons in general aren’t completely uncommon for Japan, however, ones of this magnitude are, hence the name Typhoon Hagibis; Hagibis translates to speed. 

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230,000 individuals were originally evacuated before the Typhoon hit, 5,500 of those people currently still remain in storm shelters, and may have to be there indefinitely. CNN reported almost 10,000 homes were completely flooded, 133,000 were left without running clean water and 34,000 homes currently remain without power. That number is extremely low compared to the original 520,000 households that lost power this past weekend. Government officials made a statement claiming citizens should expect to remain without power for at least a week as search and rescue efforts continue to take priority, but restoring power, water, and heat to homes that can handle it and hold multiple people is also high up on the list. 

The intense rains caused over 45 rivers to burst from their structures, inducing over 130 landslides to wipe out hundreds of homes, killing four. According to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office who spoke to CNN, “the typhoon brought record-setting heavy rains and windstorms. Hakone, southwest of Tokyo, received almost 1 meter (3.3 feet) of rain within 24 hours. Many areas received up to 40% of their annual rainfall over two days.” 

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“Typhoon Hagibis is on course to be one of the costliest natural disasters to have hit Japan, with insured losses of more than $9 billion. On Tuesday, at a session of the Upper House Budget Committee the government stated they were planning to designate Hagibis a ‘severe natural disaster,’ in order to make municipalities in affected regions eligible for increased state subsidies for reconstruction work,” according to analysts from investment firm Keefe, Bruyette & Woods quoted by industry publication Reinsurance News.

Many industries and businesses are already suffering from the extensive and expensive damage Hagibis has inflicted on the archipelago. The typhoon has blocked or destroyed almost all means of public transportation, which sets back thousands of businesses, all which are already closed anyway due to the damage. About a third of bullet trains, one of the biggest means of transportation throughout Japan, are submerged in flood waters, (CNN). 

When past typhoons have caused billions in damage to Japan, insurance luckily normally covers half to three quarters of all projected costs. The people of Japan are hoping that’s the case this time around as well. Three Rugby world championship matches have been cancelled, making all aspects of life and culture in Japan hit a full stand still.