MANILA— When super-typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines early Friday morning carrying sustained wind speeds of 235 kilometers an hour it was the 24th storm to rip through the country this year, coming just one month after Typhoon Usagi barreled through packing winds of 215 kph.
And while this year’s storm total was higher than years past, it isn’t likely to surpass the 32 recorded in 1993. The Philippines sees around 20 major typhoons annually.
In fact, the World Bank has identified the Philippines as one of the most hazard-prone countries in the world. It said the Southeast Asian nation’s location in the tropics exposes it to multiple natural hazards including typhoons, floods and drought. The Philippines also sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Typhoon Haiyan comes just weeks after a massive earthquake hit the central part of the Philippines, killing 222 people and destroying historic churches, bridges and roads.
Some of the deadliest storms to hit the Philippines over the past three decades have ravaged the southern and central parts of the archipelago, according to data the national weather bureau, The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or PAG-ASA. The archipelago’s eastern seaboard faces the Pacific Ocean, which is where many of these cyclones originate.
Weather forecasters explain that tropical cyclones that form in the Pacific Ocean during the last few months of the year usually hit land because of the Siberian High, the prevailing high pressure system over Asia during the winter months. The Siberian High prevents cyclones from moving upwards, which why they make landfall in the central and southern Philippines, said Glaiza Escullar, a weather forecaster at PAG-ASA.
Typhoon Haiyan is heading for Vietnam and is forecast to make landfall in central coastal area around lunchtime Sunday, according to the Vietnam National Center for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting. It said wind speeds will range between 150 and 183 kilometers and hour when it makes landfall. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered provincial authorities in central Vietnam to call all boats ashore and put in place evacuation plans.
Vu Trong Khanh contributed reporting from Hanoi.
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