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Super Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, devastated the central Philippines on November 8, 2013, at 4:40 AM local time. While the official death toll reached 6,300, the true number of fatalities may never be known. The storm impacted millions across 20 provinces.
This Category 5 super typhoon packed winds of up to 315 km/h, potentially making it one of the most powerful storms ever recorded at landfall. The hardest-hit areas were the central islands of Leyte and Samar, particularly the Eastern Visayas region. From there, the storm tracked eastward and then northward, heading towards Vietnam and China over the following days.
Haiyan's impact was widespread and catastrophic. Power lines were severed, and roads were impassable due to debris and fallen trees. Buildings, especially wooden houses, were leveled by the intense winds. A devastating storm surge accompanied the typhoon, inundating coastal communities and causing even more extensive damage than the wind alone. [1] [2]
Map of Central Philippines impacted by Typhoon Haiyan
Actual track of Typhoon Haiyan, November 2013
Perturbed trajectories of Typhoon Haiyan
Perturbed trajectories represent the range of possible paths Typhoon Haiyan could take, based on the inherent uncertainty in weather forecasting.
Typhoon Haiyan track (animated GIF)
Intensity of Typhoon Haiyan
This intensity map above illustrates Typhoon Haiyan's strength, with color gradients representing wind speed intensity. In several areas, particularly along the storm's path, the wind reached an alarming speed of 70 m/s.
Affected Provinces and Damage
According to UN Women Report, the following provinces in Central Philippines were heavily affected by the Typhoon Haiyan:
Region IV-B (Mimaropa): Palawan (North)
Region VI (Western Visayas): Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo
Region VII (Central Visayas): Cebu (North)
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas): Biliran, Leyte & Tacloban City, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, Samar
The table below details the damage and losses caused by the typhoon, with values provided in both USD and PHP.
Damage and Losses caused by Typhoon Haiyan in Central Philippines provinces
Map of Central Philippines provinces with their damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan (in million USD)
The map above shows the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan, with Leyte province suffering the most extensive damage, exceeding USD 1 billion. Tacloban City, within Leyte, also experienced significant damage, with value of USD 155 million. Following these hardest-hit areas, North Cebu, Capiz, Iloilo, Eastern Samar, and Samar provinces each sustained damages totaling over USD 100 million.
Further Study
This project can be studied further by implementing the changes on intensity and frequency due to climate change described in Global projections of intense tropical cyclone activity for the late twenty-first century from dynamical downscaling of CMIP5/RCP4.5 scenarios of Knutson et al 2015.
Link to the details: CLIMADA - Tropical Cyclones: Implementing Climate Change
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