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Tag: typhoon

  • Super Typhoon A Danger To Millions In Japan

    A super typhoon is on its way to Japan and emergency services have already issued a warning to people in the country’s southern islands to take maximum precautions.

    A super typhoon is expected to hit the Okinawa island chain with heavy rain and powerful winds. Meteorologists are predicting that the storm could bring winds at speeds of up to 150 mph and that the storm will be extremely intense and dangerous.

    “In these regions, there is a chance of the kinds of storms, high seas, storm surges and heavy rains that you’ve never experienced before,” a JMA official said in a news conference.

    “This is an extraordinary situation, where a grave danger is approaching.”

    The JMA has urged anyone living or staying near the target areas to evacuate as soon as possible and not to stick around and wait for conditions to get worse before doing so.

    The storm has many people worried that another nuclear disaster could happen. Luckily, there are no nuclear plants on Okinawa, but there are two on Kyushu and one on Shikoku island. Neither of these locations are in the target zone, but both could be affected.

    Officials are hoping that the typhoon will pass without causing too much damage, but they want to make sure everyone is aware of how dangerous it could be.

    “I can’t stress enough how dangerous this typhoon may be when it hits Okinawa,” Brigadier General James Hecker said on Sunday. “This is not just another typhoon.”

    JMA officials say that millions of people are in danger and hope that their warnings are not ignored. Experts say that storms as strong as the super typhoon only happen about once every ten years.

    Do you think the typhoon will be as bad or as dangerous as the experts are predicting?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Super Typhoon Neoguri Heads for Japan

    Super Typhoon Neoguri is expected to reach Okinawa early Tuesday, in what has been described as a “once in decades” storm.

    The Japan Meteorological Agency has measured sustained winds of 123 miles per hour, with gusts so far hitting 168 miles per hour. The storm has generated waves 46 feet high.

    Meteorological Agency official Satoshi Ebihara warned, “there is a risk of unprecedentedly strong winds and torrential rains. Please refrain from nonessential outdoor activities.” The agency added special warnings for flood tides.

    Neoguri passed by the Philippines, a country still reeling from Typhoon Haiyan which killed thousands last year. Neoguri passed 298 miles east of the northernmost province of Batanes.

    Japan was also hit in 2013 by Typhoon Wipha, which killed 17 when it made its way to Tokyo.

    Forecasts project the typhoon moving toward Kyushu island and then across Japan’s main island of Honshu. It is expected to lose some power over land, but heavy winds and rains could cause landslides and other damage to infrastructure.

    A storm surge in excess of 20 feet is expected over the southern Ryukyu Islands, and the United States’ Kadena Air Force Base, which is situated on the westernmost part of Okinawa, will likely see the strongest and most destructive winds.

    Super Typhoon Neoguri as it passes by the Philippines:

    Neoguri as seen from the International Space Station:

    The devastating impact of Neoguri will gradually taper off across Okinawa Tuesday night. Though, the storm is expected to continue a trajectory across the northern Ryukyu Islands and southern Kyushu on Wednesday.

    Image via Youtube

  • Kim Kardashian Defends Her eBay Auction

    Kim Kardashian Defends Her eBay Auction

    Last month, Kim Kardashian created an eBay auction and said that she would be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Philippine typhoon victims. What seemed like a sincere gesture quickly stirred controversy after it was reported that only ten percent of the earnings would be donated.

    She started out by explaining the auction on her personal website saying: “Hi guys, this is a very special auction because a portion of the proceeds of my eBay auction are going to International Medical Corps, which is a nonprofit organization that provides critical health services on remote islands where families are struggling to access medical care and basic resources like food, clean drinking water and vital medications.” “The proceeds will go directly to the communities they’re serving in the Philippines and will help typhoon survivors get access to medical care and ultimately save lives,” she continued. “My prayers and thoughts are with those affected by the typhoon. Check out my eBay auction here and support those who need our help in the Philippines. Xo”

    When the public found out that only ten percent would be donated, they were outraged. It’s no secret that Kardashian is a multi-millionaire, so the question was… Why not donate more? After thousands of remarks came in about her auction, Kardashian decided to defend her decision to only donate ten percent and explain that she is always donated to different charities and doesn’t appreciate the negativity.

    “I feel compelled to speak about something that is in my head and my heart,” she wrote. “Over the years, I’ve had to grow a thick skin. Being in the public eye, there are times I feel like I get criticized for any and everything I do. I’m used to it now. I just choose not to feed into negativity or become consumed by it.”

    Kardashian continued saying that she was taught to give back at an early age by her father, the late Robert Kardashian. “The problem comes in when I get attacked for giving and trying to help people. My dad always taught me the importance of giving back,” she explained. “I don’t publicize everything I do to help charities and people all over the world. I do it because I want to. I do it because my dad taught me to. I do it because it’s the right thing to do. So for people to attack me for giving 10% of my eBay auction sales to the people of the Philippines, that hurts.”

    She went on to explain how the numbers are broken down when she decides to use an eBay auction to promote a charity. “In regards to these eBay auctions, when the eBay numbers get broken down, the auction management agency that posts for me gets a percentage for all of their hard work, then eBay listing fees, end of auction fees, eBay Store fees, Paypal fees, etc., all add up to about half of the sale,” she explained. “Then I give 10% to a charity. Truth is how the # is broken down, is neither here nor there. The people of the Philippines need all of our help, no matter how big or small.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kim Kardashian eBay Auction For Typhoon Victims

    Kim Kardashian eBay Auction For Typhoon Victims

    It is no secret that Kim Kardashian is a multi-millionaire, so when she announced that she would be donating a portion of her earnings from her eBay auction to the victims of the Philippines typhoon, it sounded like an awesome idea. However, as the saying goes, “when it sounds too good to be true…it usually is.” Only ten percent of her earnings will be donated to the Philippine communities.

    Kardashian explained her idea on her personal website. “Hi guys, this is a very special auction because a portion of the proceeds of my eBay auction are going to International Medical Corps, which is a nonprofit organization that provides critical health services on remote islands where families are struggling to access medical care and basic resources like food, clean drinking water and vital medications,” she said.

    “The proceeds will go directly to the communities they’re serving in the Philippines and will help typhoon survivors get access to medical care and ultimately save lives,” she said. “My prayers and thoughts are with those affected by the typhoon. Check out my eBay auction here and support those who need our help in the Philippines. Xo”

    While Kardashian may have had very good intentions, it seems like it has caused more furry than good. People are disgusted that she would only donate ten percent, especially when she is selling items like Vera Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, BCBG, Rebecca Taylor, Chanel, which all sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars. Sorry Kim, but it doesn’t sound like your charity is very charitable.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Typhoon Haiyan: Death Toll May Reach 10,000

    The estimated death toll from Typhoon Haiyan has reached staggering proportions. The super typhoon ravaged the Philippines on Friday, leaving devastation in its wake. Officials are projecting that the death toll may reach or even exceed 10,000.

    Leyte and Samar Island were the hardest hit areas. Tacloban is the capital of Leyte and occupies 3/4 of the island. Its city administrator Tecson Lim has said that the death toll in Tacloban alone could reach 10,000.

    Massive communication and power outages have made it difficult to assess the extent of Haiyan’s damage.

    There is still verification to be done, but it’s looking like Haiyan – known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda – may be the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall, with one-minute sustained winds of 195mph. This easily earns it the classification of a super typhoon – one in which sustained winds attain or exceed 150mph. It would also mean that Haiyan’s winds surpassed the 190mph record set by Hurricane Camille back in 1969.

    After swooping through the Philippines, Haiyan entered the South China Sea where it was downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 typhoon. By the time it hits Vietnam and Southeastern China, it will be Category 1 or 2. Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at US-based Weather Underground warns that the damage Haiyan can still wreck shouldn’t be underestimated:

    “I expect that the 8+ inches of rain that the storm will dump on Vietnam will make it a top-five most expensive natural disaster in their history,” Masters wrote on his blog.

    As US Marines are flying in from nearby Okinawa to assist with search and rescue operations, disaster relief organizations are quickly mobilizing.

    Image via Facebook

  • Typhoon Haiyan Leaves Philippines in Ruins

    One of the strongest typhoons on record, Typhoon Haiyan, stormed through the central Philippines, crushing everything in sight on Friday.

    The super-storm ravaged the islands with winds reaching between 150 and 190 miles-per-hour. So far, the death toll has reached more than 138 people, but the end results could be staggering. The hardest hit island, Leyte Island, is responsible for at least 118 of those deaths that have been accounted for. Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang estimates the toll to rise over 1,000. “The devastation is, I don’t have the words for it,” Roxas said. “It’s really horrific. It’s a great human tragedy.”

    Interior Secretary, Max Roxas, says it is too early to know just how many people have lost their lives in this storm. “The rescue operation is ongoing, we expect a very high number of fatalities as well as injured,” he said. “All systems, all vestiges of modern living – communications, power, water – all are down. Media is down, so there is no way to communicate with the people in a mass sort of way.”

    Richard Gordon, Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, says many of the deaths were caused by the high and quickly moving waters. “The waves and the rain were aplenty,” Gordon said. “They are strong, they move fast, but it was the surging seas along the coastline that killed a lot of people.”

    With the Philippines in utter desperation, the United States is offering any help they can provide. Secretary of State, John Kerry, released a statement to offer aid to the islands.

    “I know that these horrific acts of nature are a burden that you have wrestled with and courageously surmounted before,” he said. “Your spirit is strong. The United States stands ready to help, our embassies in the Philippines and Palau are in close contact with your governments, and our most heartfelt prayers are with you.”

    Image via NDN

  • Typhoon Yolanda Makes Landfall in Philippines

    The Philippines has been hit by  powerful pacific storm, Haiyan, which is classified as a super typhoon. The typhoon brought sustained winds that were measured at more than 195 miles per hour before making landfall. The storm sustained one minute winds producing powerful puffs of 230 miles per hour.

    This typhoon is the most powerful typhoon to make a landfall in 2013 and is extremely catastrophic. The South East Asian country has been affected by the super typhoon in Central Visayas, Layet, and Samar provinces. It is estimated that the potential landfall area of this typhoon will likely be along Northern Leyte by Friday.

    Residents living in Bicol Region, Northern Mindanao and Northern Quezon are asked to remain vigilant as they monitor the approach of this destructive typhoon. Emergency and disaster management plans are now in place. Warnings have been issued regarding heavy damages likely to affect the communities, which includes power disruptions and serious agricultural losses, as well as infrastructural damages.

    When the landfall occurs, heavy to intense rainfall will be expected and the typhoon’s diameter is expected to extend to 600km. So people are asked to postpone all travel, especially to the affected areas.

    Meanwhile, Philippines’ Disaster Government website has been hacked.  According to Ibtimes, Cyber pirates infiltrated the website of Dina, a government disaster management websites and redirected visitors to an adult site. “A server where we upload was hacked,” said council executive director Eduardo del Rosario.

    The website was launched to offer real-time information to Filipinos on natural disasters like floods, tsunamis, landslides, and typhoons, among others. Rosario told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the website would “educate the general public on disaster preparedness”.

    According to reports, the group responsible for the website attack is believed to be hacktivist group known as Anonymous. The hackers have already said that they have hacked several government website as a global protest against the government’s action to censor information and engage in corruption.

    (image via weather.com)

  • Typhoon Yolanda Puts Philippines In Danger

    Typhoon Yolanda, which is heading towards the Philippines, is being internationally referred to as Haiyan, and it looks like it’s going to cause a lot of damage. It has been projected that the storm will reach “super typhoon” level over the course of the next 48 to 60 hours as it makes its way to the Philippines. The storm is expected to arrive on Thursday and make its way to the nation’s central area by Friday afternoon. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center, based in Hawaii, stated in a weather forecast, “Due to very favorable environmental conditions, rapid intensification is forecast over the next 48 hours with a peak intensity of 130 knots (241 kilometers per hour).”

    The Philippines has taken precautions in order to prepare for the upcoming super storm. The president, Benigno S. C. Aquino III, has asked Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin to encourage management councils and risk reduction councils across the country to carry out precautions in the face of the storm. Rescue boats, medical supplies, and emergency relief have been posted in high-risk areas in an attempt to combat problems before they can spin out of control.

    Classes have already been cancelled in some areas, and suspension of work was ordered yesterday in Mindanao by governor Sol F. Matugas, who went on an urged her citizens to pray, noting that the government would be offering a mass at the convention center on Wednesday. Evacuation plans and emergency services have also been issued in Mindao and other neighboring areas as they prepare for the storm’s onslaught. Emergency sirens and bells have been ringing in many of the province’s towns and villages.

    Herminio B. Coloma, Jr., the Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary, stated at a press meeting, “All concerned government agencies are on heightened alert to ensure swift response to affected residents, especially those in low-lying and flood-prone areas.” This writer, in a similar vein, wishes wellness and safety to the Philippine citizens as they prepare and evacuate in the face of such a terrifying natural disaster.

    [Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.]

  • Typhoon Wipha Hits Tokyo, At Least 17 Killed

    Typhoon Wipha reached the Tokyo area Wednesday, and at least 17 people have died, with another 50 missing.

    An official from Oshima, a small island 75 miles south of Tokyo, reported that the majority of the casualties came from flooding and landslides due to heavy rain. Rescuers were unable to reach people in some of the areas hit by torrential downpours. Oshima reported 32.44 inches of rain from the storm, in less than 24 hours.

    Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported that blackouts have affected more than 56,000 households. TEPCO, the main electricity supplier in Tokyo and central Japan, which has been struggling to deal with a series of leaks at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, said that staff at the plant were “on vigil,” and that accumulated rainwater had been purged from storage tanks.

    The Fukushima plant recently leaked roughly 430 liters of radioactive water into the ocean, due to an overflow in a container from a previous tropical depression. The added Wipha rainwater has been keeping technicians on edge.

    In related news, after the 2011 Fukushima meltdown, Namie-machi, a small city in the Fukushima Prefecture in the radiation exclusion zone, remains uninhabited. Google was still able to get in there to photograph the place for its Google Maps Street View. The place is still a ghost town:

    (image)

    Typhoon Wipha is moving north along the Pacific coast of Japan, and is expected to reach the northernmost island of Hokkaido by late Wednesday. Over 500 international and domestic flights were cancelled at the Narita and Haneda airports, and the national railroad operator stopped train services in central and northern Japan.

    Wipha is the eighth typhoon of 2013, and the 26th named tropical cyclone of the year, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Taiwan Typhoon Hits, Two Casualties Reported

    Typhoon Usagi, reportedly the most powerful typhoon of the year, has battered coastal towns in the Philippines and Taiwan. Typhoon Usagi has weakened, with winds dropping from 150 mph to about 108 mph, but is still on the move. The typhoon is now approaching Hong Kong and has already claimed the lives of at least two people.

    Around 3,000 people were evacuated from Taipei, Taiwan and close to 90,000 people are without electricity, thanks to Typhoon Usagi. According to Business Week, the winds currently sustained by Typhoon Usagi are equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. That means that Typhoon Usagi is as powerful as Hurricane Manuel that battered Mexico and took the lives of at least 100 people this week.

    Two deaths have been reported in the Philippines as a result of Typhoon Usagi. A 50-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman drowned when the boat they were in capsized on Friday. Two other people from the boat have been listed as missing. Since the Philippine towns in the path of the typhoon were evacuated prior to the storm striking, it is hopeful that the death toll won’t climb. “Our people there know the drill, but we have also issued warnings to take safety precautions,” Florencio Abad said. “We’re praying it doesn’t create death and destruction.”

    This area is no stranger to typhoons, as the Pacific typhoon season runs throughout the year. May through October is usually when the region sees the most typhoons, and the Philippines saw a typhoon touch ground just last month.

    Twitter users are reporting of excessive rains, which could cause flooding and other problems.

    Image via YouTube

  • Super Typhoon Usagi Heading for Hong Kong

    Super Typhoon Usagi Heading for Hong Kong

    Super Typhoon Usagi, the most powerful storm on the planet so far in 2013, is still moving along in the Western Pacific, carrying winds as strong as 162 mph – which is equivalent to a category 5 hurricane. Usagi is forecast to move through the Luzon Straight between Taiwan and the Philippines on Saturday.

    In the following TRMM (Tropical rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite flyby animation from September 19, rain was falling at a rate of over 5.5 inches (red) per hour in the powerful storms within the eye of the super typhoon.

    The storm is heading northwest toward the southern coast of China, and is expected to hit landfall near Hong Kong on Sunday. Usagi measures roughly 620 miles wide, and is generating waves as high as 50 feet. The National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Civil Affairs in China have issued a disaster relief alert, in anticipation of Usagi’s arrival, which is expected to hit the southern province of Guangdong. The Hong Kong observatory has also issued a warning, stating that “weather will deteriorate significantly with strengthening winds and rough seas”

    So far, Usagi’s outer spokes have brought rain to the northern Philippines, and the Pagasa weather agency has issued a warning for flash floods and landslides. The super typhoon is expected to come closest to Taiwan on Saturday – Pedram Javaheri, a meteorologist for CNN International, states, “If you’re on the east coast of Taiwan, you’ve certainly got to take this storm very seriously,” adding that Usagi could bring over 3 feet of rain to the area over the next few days.

    Usagi comes on the heels of Super Typhoon Utor, previously the strongest storm of the year, which hit the Philippines and southern China in August. Roughly 50 people in China and another 11 in the Philippines died in that storm.

    Image courtesy of YouTube.

  • Japan Typhoon Man-Yi Surfaces, Endangering Fukushima

    Typhoon Man-Yi has hit southern Japan causing fears that the Fukushima nuclear plant may be impacted. Man-Yi is the 18th typhoon this season, bringing heavy rains and officials are warning citizens in different parts of the country of flooding and very strong winds. Central Japan Railway Co. temporarily suspended their bullet-train services near Tokyo as the vicious typhoon quickly approached the nation’s capital. Around 200 domestic flights have been cancelled as well, mostly those that were planning to depart from Tokyo.

    The tropical storm that is a high threat to Japan’s citizens originated in Pacific waters close to the southern island of Shikoku. It has been increasing in size and at times obtaining wind speeds of up to 144 kilometers per hour. According to the New Zealand Herald, it was on a direct course to hit southern of the main island Honshu on Monday morning. Next on its course, it was predicted that it would head northeast toward the capital, crossing the northeast and the area near Fukushima.

    Fukushima continues to deal with an immense struggle attempting to control the radioactive materials that leaked into the Pacific Ocean during the earthquake and tsumani that hit in 2011. It is a story that has been resurfacing in the mainstream media lately and scaring a lot of people, as it continues to contaminate the water. This has caused the fish in multiple areas to be too dangerous to eat.

    A flood warning was issued to residents near the Kokai river in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. There was also an earlier flood warning for the Meguro river, which has since been lifted, states Bloomberg.com. Before hitting Japan, the storm had already delivered strong winds and heavy rain in the south and east, although no major damage was reported. Warnings for flooding, heavy rain, mudslides and high ocean waves have all been issued by the weather agency to areas along the Pacific coast.

    As the storm continues to damage parts of Japan, more contaminated water is expected to seep into the groundwater as well and problem of the radioactive waste from the Fukushima plant is scaring people around the world. If the water continues to be polluted at this rate, it could be unsafe to swim in a matter of a few years.

    Image via Youtube

  • Typhoon Utor Touches Ground in the Philippines

    Typhoon Utor (referred to as Typhoon Labuyo in the Philippines) hit ground in the northern region of the Philippines at 150 mph around 3 a.m. on Monday, August 12, 2013 local time. Powerful winds, heavy rain, and life-threatening flooding are expected as part of this storm where the northern island of Luzon is expected to receive the brunt of activity.

    Typhoon Utor could downgrade to a Category 1 or 2 storm as it continues to travel in a northwest trajectory toward China; however, these types of storms are difficult to predict as traveling over warm water has the potential to actually strengthen this cyclone.

    According to the Catanduanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) 40 fisherman had originally been pronounced missing as a result of this extreme weather force. While seven of these fisherman have since been accounted for, there are still 33 who remain missing. Many towns have already suffered where the missing fisherman have originated from the following communities: Pandan, Gigmoto, Virac, and Bagamanoc. Reports indicate that these fishermen were aware of the incoming storm.

    Emergency response teams have prepped for the impending dangers. Anna Lindenfors of Save the Children had this to say, “The entire Luzon region is braced for heavy winds and rains as the typhoon draws closer. Save the Children is monitoring the situation closely. We have trained staff and partners on the ground ready to mount a response, and pre-made aid packages to distribute if needed. Save the Children knows from experience that children are always the most vulnerable in a disaster and we stand ready to respond to their needs.”

    Many people living outside of the Philippines are entranced with Typhoon Utor, watching as the system continues to shift with anticipated changes, showing that Mother Nature can be both dangerous and erratic.