Hell on Earth..
Haiyan is the international name for the terrible storm event that crossed over the Philippines that is known locally as Typhoon "Yolanda". Everyone that has been following news of this terrible storm has seen images and video that are absolutely heartbreaking. I have been reading as much as I can of this storm as it is easy to think that a storm like this only affects other countries and not where you and your family might live. How can anyone look at the images from the storm damage and not feel sadness for the victims and survivors.
I wanted everyone to stop and think for a moment. Last year on October 29th, our area (Southeastern PA) was affected by a small storm called Sandy. People directly affected by Sandy would not think it was a small storm, not when you see your home flooded or you were stranded underwater in your car. We have a bad habit of ignoring the news and avoid learning how we can and should be prepared for dangerous weather. When you compare a category 5 storm to weaker storm like Sandy you will have to agree that no matter how powerful a storm might be everyone should pay attention to the news and be prepared for any storm.
The Philippines have been hit by many storms but officials there are shocked by the magnitude of the destruction by this event. Just to compare, winds of about 54 miles an hour are enough to knock down large tree limbs and at 60 mph can knock down entire trees. Haiyan had sustained winds of about 195 mph at the coast! Most people in the Philippines did not had adequate shelter to protect them from a storm like this and it is reported that more then 10,000 people are feared dead in just one city.
Below is a video that was posted recently by James Reynolds who is a well known professional storm photographer. Here you will see the effects of the high wind and water.
Thanks to Earth Uncut TV for posting on YouTube
Where will Haiyan go next?
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| Map from The NWS Climate Prediction Center Website & NOAA |
A final note.
In our area (Mid-Atlantic USA) we are seeing rapidly changing Fall to Winter like weather. We should be prepared for the weather associated for this season. I see so many car accidents just by distracted drivers. We cannot do much for that but here is how you can get your car better prepared.
Read this story I posted about getting good tires for your vehicle: http://climatedriver.blogspot.com/search?q=tires
To lean how to be prepared for a tropical storm or hurricane then read here; http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes
Information I collected for this story came from newsinfo.inquirer.net
