ALERTS | Current Weather Warnings

[Sundance2020]

Weather Alerts and Developments throughout S.E.Asia

[Sundance2020]

Philippine island hit by Typhoon Rai, more than 45,000 people forced to evacuate



Super Typhoon Rai, named “Odette” in the Philippines, ripped through the archipelago’s eastern island of Siargao, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Flights have been cancelled as well as land and sea trips in the area. More than 45,000 people have been evacuated to government shelters in Eastern Visayas, which includes six provinces, as the 15th storm of the year rapidly developed into a super typhoon which is equal to a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic, with Surigao Province in the north predicted to see the worst circumstances.

Governor Ben Evardone of Samar province said heavy wind and rain have already battered the area. Hundreds of people have taken refuge in evacuation centres in Tacloban City, just outside of Samar.
Many of them suffered through Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, which killed over 6,000 Filipinos.

Photos from Surigao show a sports complex converted into an evacuation centre, complete with plastic tents put up in a vast hall and people sleeping on carpets and tarps on the floor where more than 2,600 people have evacuated. Smaller coastal communities are the most significant source of concern since they are home to fishers and impoverished people who may not have access to official announcements or be unable to leave, with the ongoing evacuation in Dapa by humanitarian groups and organisations.

According to the country’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau, thousands of communities along the storm’s forecast course are in danger of floods and landslides, with the region’s soil already saturated and shaky from the week’s torrential rain. According to the Red Cross, millions of people are still rebuilding their homes and livelihoods, especially following multiple severe storms late last year.

[Logan]

Typhoon Rai death toll raises to almost 400, 83 still missing in the Philippines



Following the destruction caused by Super Typhoon Rai in the Philippines last week, the death toll has risen to 397 and 83 are still missing, according to the official figure released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council today.

Almost 561,500 people have been displaced and 1,147 individuals injured as rescuers from the ground, adding that over half of the displaced are housed in one of the 1,200 evacuation shelters, where it is anticipated that overcrowding would lead to Covid-19 outbreaks.

Rai, locally known as Odette, made landfall on December 16 with wind gusts of up to 240 kilometres per hour from east to west, affecting the lives of almost 4.2 million people, including their homes, infrastructure, and agricultural crops.

The Philippine government proclaimed a state of calamity in six districts devastated by the 15th typhoon of the year, which had caused damage to properties across the country worth 22 billion Philippine pesos (around US$437 million).

The Philippines, one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters, is struck by an average of 20 typhoons each year, and Super Typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc on the Philippines, killing over 7,000 people in November 2013.

[Steve]

The impact of Typhoon Odette / Rai in the Philippines

[Sundance2020]

Don Mueang Airport damaged by storm



A thunderstorm hit Bangkok yesterday, causing the Service Hall at Don Mueang International airport to collapse. The hall was built just one year ago but hasn’t yet been used due to low levels of international travel throughout the pandemic. No injuries or deaths were reported. Luckily there was no one in there at the time.

The walls of the Service Hall reportedly collapsed last night during a thunderstorm. The airport had built the hall to be used as a meeting place for group tours at Don Mueang Airport Terminal 1, the home of most budget international and some budget domestic flights.

The management of Don Mueang Airport has ordered a team of engineers to inspect the damage and report the causes of the collapse in detail. Thailand’s Minister of Transport has ordered Airports of Thailand – or AOT – to also urgently investigate the cause of the incident.

The Executive Director of AOT Nitinai Sirisatthakarn is currently awaiting a detailed report from the airport. The preliminary report stated there was a storm and heavy rainfall which overwhelmed some of the structure.