Philippines encounter numerous typhoons every year. Over the decades, people have witnessed series of typhoons with different strength, duration, and impacts. Not all typhoons are bearable especially with those folks who suffer in misery due to lives and properties lost. However, because of these storms, Filipinos became stronger and resilient as a nation.
Now, here are the lists of deadliest typhoons throughout the history in the Philippines.
- Haiphong -1881
Even in the modern days, Typhoon Haiphong still ranks as the deadliest typhoon that hit the Philippines. It happened in October 8, 1881, killing over 20,000 people in the northern part of the country. It has three times the death toll of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) where it also ravaged Vietnam leaving more than 300,000 people dead.
- Typhoon Amy (Yoyong)-1951
Typhoon Yoyong caused floods and landslides throughout the central Philippines on December 1951 where it killed a total of 991 people.
- Typhoon Trix- 1952
Typhoon Trix, caused floods and landslides in the Bicol region where it caused the death of 995 people back in October 1952.
- Typhoon Nina (Sisang)- 1987
Sisang hit the Bicol region in 1987 where it caused mudslides down Mayon Volcano. The devastation of the said typhoon also killed 979 people.
- Typhoon Mike (Ruping)- 1990
Typhoon Ruping ripped mostly in Visayas region, where about $241 million (10.8 billion pesos) worth of properties and crops were destroyed, mostly in Visayas Region. Millions of people also lost their homes upon hitting the Cagayan De Oro. A total of 3.2 million Filipinos fled to schools and evacuation centers for temporary shelter. Also, a total of 116, 512 homes were totally destroyed while 294, 131 others were damaged. Visayas was placed under state of calamity, due to the catastrophic effects of the typhoon.
- Tropical Storm Thelma (Uring)-1991
It was November 04, 1991 whenTyphoon Uring hit Ormoc, Leyte. It killed people ranging from 5,081 to 8,165 and about over 3,000 were declared missing or presumed dead after the devastation of the Typhoon in the country.
- Typhoon Angela (Rosing)- 1995
Typhoon Angela battered Bicol and Manila in November 1995. It brought winds up to 260 Kms per hour which inflicted damages worth $241 million (10.8 Billion pesos) in the country. Nine hundred thirty six people lost their lives while more than 96,000 homes, roads, and bridges were ruined by storm surges, flooding, and extreme winds.
- Typhoon Winnie- 2004
Winnie was a tropical depression that hit the Philippines on November 27, 2004. It had gusts of as strong as 55 km/h (35 mph) and a barometric pressure of 1000 mbar (hpa; 29.53inHg). It unexpectedly possessed the disastrous power of a typhoon. IIt left nearly 1,600 people dead and 751 others missing.
- Typhoon Durian (Reming)-2006
Typhoon Reming affected five countries in Southeast Asia namely Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Yap State.More than 1,500 of fatalities skyrocketed these countries. In the Philippines, the typhoon hit the city of Albay, worsening the ongoing effects of Mayon Volcano at that time. Due to the areas buried with lanar, the final death toll is still unknown, but estimates range from 800 to 1,000 casualties.
- Typhoon Fengshen (Frank)- 2008
The typhoon struck central Philippines on June 21, 2008 that lost over 1,371 lives and left 87 people missing. It was also known for the capsizing of MV Princess of the Stars ship during the height of the storm, causing 846 dead out of 922 passengers it held.
- Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy)- 2009
Typhoon Ondoy has reached $244 million (11 billion pesos) worth of agricultural and infrastructure damages in 2009. It made its landfall on the borders of Baler, Aurora. Main roads including EDSA were also declared untraversable due to the strong flood currents and clogged vehicles. Interruption in power, water connection, and communication were also experienced in the major cities.
- Typhoon Parma (Pepeng)- 2009
Typhoon Parma had costed the Philippines about $608 million (27.3 billion pesos). Its movement around the country went back and forth. It became severe and returned devastating the country especially the Northern, Luzon. Different dams were released, causing flash floods, storm surges, and landslides. The authorities also have placed a red alert status nationwide.
- Typhoon Washi (Sendong)- 2011
Typhoon Sendong hit the Northern Mindanao area in December 2011, where 1080 people lost their lives. It became very deadly, since it hit an area that is not typically visited by typhoons. Sendong dumped as 50 millimeters of rain.
- Typhoon Bopha (Pablo)2012
Just a year after Typhoon Sendong, another deadly typhoon hit Mindanao in December 2012. It was named as the strongest tropical cyclone that ever made a landfall in the Southern parts of Mindanao. The number of casualties caused by the Typhoon climbed to over 1,067 deaths while 834 people went missing.
- Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)- 2013
Typhoon Yolanda is one of the strongest tropical cyclones that hit the Philippines on November 8, 2013. The super typhoon had gusts of as strong as 315 km/h. It claimed more than 6,300 lives and another 1,061 were declared missing. Most of the fatalities were recorded in Eastern Visayas.
Despite of the devastation every Filipinos have experienced due to typhoons, the tragedies, however, taught them to become a strong nation and a better prepared country. Nature has a way of staging its surprises, and for sure, you wouldn’t want to be caught unprepared when it happens.
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