Super Typhoon to hit Philippines

"Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall"

From the BBC.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24846813

"Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private firm Weather Underground, said in a blog post that the damage from Haiyan's winds must have been "perhaps the greatest wind damage any city on Earth has endured from a tropical cyclone in the past century"."

Also from the BBC.


" Haiyan had winds of 190 - 195 mph at landfall, making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make landfall in world history."

From Jeff Masters of Wunderground.


"195-mile-per-hour winds, there aren't too many buildings constructed that can withstand that kind of wind,"

"The only tiny bright side is that it's a fast-moving storm, so flooding from heavy rain -- which usually causes the most deaths from typhoons in the Philippines -- may not be as bad"

"The wind damage should be the most extreme in Phillipines history.."

From Jeff Masters of Wunderground.

At the present time, there is no electrical power on Leyte, Bohol or Cebu - the latter get most of their electricty from Leyte's geothermal plants - and communications with the affected region has also been cut with only an emergency SMS-only cellphone service currently working. All airports are closed with the exception of Clark, Manila, Davao, Zamboanga and General Santos.

No news from Hanna. I guess (Hope) her power is down.

Spoke to the wife this morning. Just started to rain in Olongapo and getting a little breezy. No comms with the province on western Samar but seen some vids on facebook and its looks a bit of a mess in Tacloban. God knows whats happened to the houses in the village. The are reports of 50ft storm surge waves hitting at the storm passes. The seawall in the village can't even cope with spring tides!!

We're all on tenterhooks.
The eye of the storm passed directly over my wife's island.
It is such a small isolated island.
I know my wife is worried sick but, like all Filipinos, she is so calm on the outside.
Of course, every call she makes comes up with "out of coverage area". This is normal even in much smaller storms.
There is such limited news at the moment even though the eye is now west of Panay.
I suppose the reporters are all sheltering until the winds subside.

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines: Three power facilities in Eastern Visayas had tripped off disrupting power supply for Eastern Samar, Leyte and Southern Leyte.

Two Cordova, Cebu fishermen were rescued in Loon, Bohol while typhoon Yolanda was raging in the Visayas.

Veco restores power in only three Cebu City barangays: Calamba, Carreta and Ermita for a total load of 12 megawatts only.

Super Typhoon Haiyan Just Broke All Scientific Intensity Scales, 500 Miles Wide, 236 MPH Winds (Live Stream)

http://beforeitsnews.com/weather/20...-all-scientific-intensity-scales-2441868.html

looking at a cebu forum cebu city and talisay dont seem to have been hit to hard power is down though and with it net and cell phones i guess

Just spoke with my Wife's ma (in UAE) and she says the family are okay in Mandaue. So I'm assuming they've communicated somehow.

It's going to take time before we start to hear anything I suppose. First job will be (after relief work obviously) getting power back and with should come comms as long as the towers are still in one piece. I've been through 2 typhoons ( one off Taiwan and the other alongside in olongapo). From a purely interest point of view I quite liked it. I love to be able to be in the eye of one as it passes.

Anyway more to the point lets hope everyone is safe and sound after this. I wonder how much news coverage this will get over the next few days compared to the "severe storm" that hit the uk the other week.

I have been asked, by some friends who have nothing to do with the Philippines, to recommend a relief organisation that they could contribute to.

Can anyone make a suggestion?

It is being covered by the BBC.

My bosses wife mentioned it today so she had obviously seen it.

Monster Storm Roars into Philippines.


"Typhoon Haiyan is battering the central Philippines with sustained winds of up to 320 km/h (199mph).

Meteorologists say that if initial estimates based on satellite images are borne out, it could be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall.

The storm has forced millions to seek shelter in 20 provinces and at least three people have died, officials say.

The region was already struggling to recover from a powerful earthquake last month.

The authorities have warned that more than 12 million people are at risk from the storm - the equivalent of a category five hurricane."

"Mai Zamora from the charity World Vision said "galvanised iron sheets were flying just like kites""

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24846813

I was up the rig derrick at the compensator package when Michael Fish's hurrican hit the UK in the late 80's. The rig had shut down operations but I took the opportunity to get up there to get a bit of kit down. Scotland wasnt quite so badly affected but it was still some storm. I could clearly see another semisubmersible straining at its anchor wires ( not chains ) on the upwind side of the rig.

Thats what my thinking is as well, pity

Not sure andrew but I noticed the philippine red cross was evident in olongapo after the serious flooding there the other month.

Red Cross, ABSCBN and GMA foundations