Super Typhoon Haiyan – known locally as Yolanda – slammed into the Philippine Islands on Friday, packing some of the strongest sustained winds the planet has ever seen.
Haiyan – the equivalent of a category five hurricane – may wind up being the most powerful tropical system ever to make landfall with maximum sustained winds of 195 miles per hour and gusts of up to 235 miles per hour.
That’s stronger than Hurricane Camille, which made landfall in Mississippi in 1969 with maximum sustained winds of 190 miles per hour.
So far only four people have been reported dead in the wake of Haiyan, although that total is expected to rise dramatically in the coming days – especially since many in the Philippines were still recovering from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck the region last month (as well as a pair of recent Super Typhoons).
The United States was spared a direct landfall from a tropical system in 2013 – one of the quietest tropical seasons on record. Only twelve tropical storms formed in the Atlantic basin this year – and only two of those turned into hurricanes (none of them major storms).
UPDATE: At least 1,200 have been reported dead associated with Haiyan, which is now heading toward Vietnam.
11 comments
Pro Tip :
Never piss off someone named Yolanda.
TBG *guesses* that it’s good that the Climate Change folks will at least have something to talk about this year but he sure feels for the folks in the PI.
And when a black dude looks at you and yells “YoMama”, don’t look around to see what beautiful chick just walked up behind you — he’s yelling at YOU!
Next name on the list for a hurricane striking the Philippines:
Ruben Santiago
(Please don’t come looking for me Officer Santiago, I respect your authoritah)
Amazingly, it will transit the island group as a force five hurricanes the whole time.
Unreal.
Daaamn
4 billion people – one little typhoon. Let’s see how many BTUs each of us expend EVERY day, and compare against this tempest in a teapot – here today, gone tomorrow.
Cars, coal, nuclear energy, clear cutting and burning forests, dumping waste into the ocean, burning toxic waste, leaking toxic waste, oil spills, jets, air conditioners, concrete, tar, Styrofoam, plastic bags, paper bags, tires, aerosol, bbq pits, NASCAR, tractor pulls, toe jam…
4 billion every day on an individual basis, PLUS industry, military, chemical, electrical, water, sewage, trash… divide it up… compare against trees, sloths, apes, or cows.
I know, I know… small beer compared to a comet hitting the earth all at once.. and it’s alll a conspiracy to make us take care of the planet, but still…
I had no idea there was such a massive increase in homosexuality in the Philippines!
Serves them right, by God!
But I have to say – I wonder if they’ll get the message.
Watching the breathless commentary of workers getting rescued from a barge. Dayum, they knew it was coming, right?
So, they’ve had a lot of time to prepare. What did they do? Guess like me, get enough beer to last until it washes my fat ass away.
Crap, I forgot, New Orleans…. just steal the beer.
The total has been updated to at least 1200 people killed. http://rt.com/news/typhoon-cyclone-dead-philippines-463/
On the other hand……
It is a nice nipple shot……………………..
Just sayin’………………