Posts Tagged ‘Typhoon Morakot’

Typhoon Morakot Threatens China

Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Rough Waters in Southeast Asia

Rough Waters in Southeast Asia

We know from our experience with hurricanes in the Gulf Coast the long-term damage that can be wrought on vulnerable populations. But the consequences are even more devastating to developing countries that have fewer social safety nets for victims of natural disasters. This week, the National Disaster Coordinating Council reported that the tier of Typhoon Morakot killed ten people in the Philippines.  Five casualties were tourists and their guides who were swept into the water. The heavy rains were responsible for more than ten landslides that destroyed or damaged close to 30 properties.  The storm then picked up wind speeds of 92 mph and made landfall in Taiwan where it killed two people and left behind 51 inches of rainfall. The forecast calls for the storm to drop another 39 inches of rain on Taiwan.  The damage caused by the heavy rainfall is amplified by the recent drought that left the ground unable to absorb water, such that flooding results.  China is next in the path of Typhoon Morakot. Chinese authorities have already begun evacuating residents of islands along the coastal storm path.  Let’s hope that the storm does not claim any more lives and we should all be prepared to give whatever we can to relief efforts.