Typhoon Ulysses – 5th Typhoon to Hit the Philippines in a Month
Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) hit the northern part of the Philippines today at 5 am. It is the 21st tropical cyclone in the Philippines in the year 2020 and the 5th typhoon in just the last 4 weeks. Typhoon Ulysses began its rain fall last November 11, 2020 and expected to be out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) by tomorrow November 13 at 2 pm. Although it is the time of the year where typhoons come to visit, it is still unfortunate that they come one after another.
Typhoon Ulysses Hit Luzon
The recent typhoon has swayed Manila, the country’s capital, with its strong winds and heavy rain. Houses in the slum areas are almost submerged by the flood. Hundreds of Filipinos who did not have time to evacuate, climbed on top of their roofs to seek refuge. Residents near the Marikina River are trapped on top of their roofs as they wait for rescue teams to escort them to safety.
5 Typhoons in a Row – Philippines
In the past month, five tropical storms or typhoons have hit the Philippines. Aside from the pandemic, many Filipinos are also suffering and recovering from their flooded homes. Many died in the process of saving their belongings or has suffered in their attempt to get to safety.
On October 25, 2020, Typhoon Quinta (Molave) flooded away many parts of the Philippines both Luzon and Visayas area. Plenty of coral reefs were destroyed and roads flooded. Typhoon affected a lot of people including 70 casualties, 47 missing people, and hundreds of injured. The damage of the typhoon is estimated to cost US$645 million.
Just a day after Quinta, Typhoon Rolly (Goni) hit again the regions of Luzon and Visayas. It is categorized under super typhoon with a Category 5-equivalent. It is recorded as the strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record by 1-minute winds, eclipsing the previous record held by Typhoon Haiyan (2013) and Typhoon Meranti (2016). Known casualties are 25 people and at least US$369 million worth of damage.
Aside from trying to get to safety, many Filipinos are also concerned about quarantine procedures at evacuation areas during the pandemic. Just a little over a week after Typhoon Rolly, the next typhoon swayed the Philippines on November 6, 2020. Typhoon Siony (Atsani) gave heavy rains in the province of Batanes with its maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h and gustiness of up to 125 km/h. Although there were some flash floods and landslides, it was a relief that there were no casualties that were recorded.
On November 7, the next typhoon came. Typhoon Tonyo (Etau) intensified from being a tropical depression into a tropical storm at 2 am on Monday, November 9, then left the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) at 4 am. This typhoon did not have any casualties in the Philippines, however in Vietnam, 2 people were killed, and 31 houses were damaged.
The next names of the typhoon that will be registered in the Philippines will be Vicky, Warren, Yoyong, and Zosimo.
