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Another typhoon on its way - or not!

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  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Watercooler:
    If I'm not mistaken, unlike Luzon or areas further north, Mindanao seldom get struck with typhoons, or powerful typhoons at that, so they are less prepared to handle such storms than the rest of the Philippines.

    This typhoon Bopha was also relatively rare in forming so close to the equator when usually there is insufficient coriolis effect to generate the spin of a tropical cyclone. Although there have been typhoons forming even closer to the equator than Bopha, such occurrences are uncommon.
    By Dr. Jeff Masters
    Published: 5:21 PM GMT on December 05, 2012
    The death toll in the Philippines from Typhoon Bopha has risen to at 270, with hundreds more missing. Bopha (called "Pablo" in the Philippines), slammed ashore on the Philippine island of Mindanao at 4:45 am local time on Tuesday morning as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. Bopha is only Category 5 typhoon on record to make landfall on Mindanao, which rarely sees strong typhoons due to its position close to the Equator. Most of the deaths occurred in the gold-rush mountain towns of New Bataan and Monkayo due to typhoon-spawned landslides and flash floods. According to an op-ed published at sunstar.com, much of the death toll can be blamed on the fact that deforestation has reduced forest cover on Mindanao to just 10%, which allows more dangerous flash floods to occur. Passage over land has weakened Bopha to a Category 1 storm today, and the typhoon is now far enough from the Philippines that it no long poses a heavy rain threat. The island of Mindanao is highly vulnerable to flood disasters from tropical cyclones; last year's Tropical Storm Washi, which hit Mindanao on December 16, 2011 with 60 mph winds and torrential rains, killed over 1200 people. Before hitting the Philippines, Typhoon Bopha brought a storm surge estimated at ten feet to the island nation of Palau, where near-total destruction is being reported in some coastal areas.
    http://icons.wxug.com/hurricane/2012/bopha_iss2.jpg


  2. #22

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    Just awful, those poor, poor people. (I couldn't bring myself to watch the video)


  3. #23

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    We got missed by a cat 5 last year if I recall. It was a scary moment until it moved away. Even a well prepared place like HK would not be unscathed by something of that magnitude if we got a direct hit.


  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    We got missed by a cat 5 last year if I recall. It was a scary moment until it moved away. Even a well prepared place like HK would not be unscathed by something of that magnitude if we got a direct hit.
    Eh? We were hit by a cat. 5 this year!

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by bryant.english:
    Eh? We were hit by a cat. 5 this year!
    it was a category 4 actually

  6. #26

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    I'm talking about the cat. 5


    Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using GeoClicks Mobile


  7. #27

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    Any word from your helper Bryant?


  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Satay Sue:
    Any word from your helper Bryant?
    Not yet. We will be at the airport this evening to pick Mary up. We've been quite amazed how worried we've been! Logically, odds are that she's absolutely fine, maybe busy cleaning up!

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by bryant.english:
    I'm talking about the cat. 5


    Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using GeoClicks Mobile
    http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/tra...c/201209W.html

    vicent was a category four ( storm warning ten is maximium for HK), wind severity by international standards has higher stage

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by imparanoic:
    http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/tra...c/201209W.html

    vicent was a category four ( storm warning ten is maximium for HK), wind severity by international standards has higher stage
    Oh, your backing up your argument with actual 'facts' and 'figures' versus my 'Super Mega Memory'? .......okay....you win.