Haiyan: Deadliest storm to hit Phillipines, say officials

Manila: Typhoon Haiyan, which slammed into six central Philippine islands on Friday, is the strongest typhoon of the year and one of the strongest storms on record. It also appears to be the deadliest storm — and natural disaster — on record to hit the Philippines, with officials saying that as many as 10,000 people are believed dead. Here is a list of the deadliest storms to lash the Philippines before Haiyan: ___ TROPICAL STORM THELMA, Nov. 2-7, 1991, 5,101 deaths The storm dumped heavy rain onto the central Philippines’ Leyte Island, triggering flash floods that swept people, homes and vehicles into the sea in Ormoc City, causing most of the deaths. People were also killed elsewhere on Leyte and other central islands. [caption id=“attachment_1221477” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Haiyan’s disaster trail. AP. [/caption] ___ TYPHOON BOPHA, Dec. 3, 2012, 1,900 deaths Powerful winds and floodwaters from the typhoon flattened homes as it smashed ashore on southern Davao Oriental province. Continuing westward, it blew over mountains, with heavy rains triggering flash floods in nearby Compostela Valley province that washed down tons of mud and boulders on helpless communities. ___ TYPHOON IKE, Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 1984, 1,492 deaths Ike brought heavy rains that flooded many areas in the northeastern part of the main southern island of Mindanao and the central Philippines. The overflowing waters of Lake Mainit in Surigao del Norte province reportedly killed several hundred people. ___ TYPHOON AGNES, Nov. 3-6, 1984, 1,167 deaths One of the strongest typhoons to hit the country, Agnes battered the central Philippines, overflowing rivers and causing massive floods. ___ TROPICAL STORM WASHI, Dec. 16, 2011, 1,080 deaths One of the few major storms to hit the southern Philippines, Washi caused flash floods that cascaded down mountain slopes with logs and uprooted trees, swelling rivers while people were asleep. The late-season storm turned the worst-hit coastal cities of Cagayan de Oro and nearby Iligan into muddy wastelands filled with overturned cars and broken trees. ___ TYPHOON TRIX, Oct. 17-22, 1952, 995 deaths Trix smashed into the Bicol region on the main island of Luzon’s southern tip with over 220 kilometer per hour (137 mile per hour) winds. ___ TYPHOON AMY, Dec. 9, 1951, 991 deaths Most of those killed by floods and landslides from this late-season storm were children. Like Typhoon Haiyan, Amy also made landfall in Guiuan on Samar Island. It also followed the same general track as Haiyan and caused massive storm surges. ___ TYPHOON NINA, Nov. 23-27, 1987, 979 deaths Large storm surges and heavy rain unleashed volcanic debris from the Mayon volcano, wreaking havoc on Legazpi city in Albay province, southeast of Manila. Strong winds, floods and storm surges caused more deaths and damage before Nina exited to the South China Sea. ___ TYPHOON FENGSHEN, June 18-23, 2008, 938 deaths Most of the dead from Fengshen were passengers of the ferry MV Princess of the Stars, which capsized after being battered by huge waves and sank off Romblon island in the central Philippines. ___ TYPHOON ANGELA, Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 1995, 882 deaths The Bicol region, southeast of Manila, suffered the most with floods and landslides before the typhoon, which then was reported to be the strongest to hit the country since the 1970s, blew west and also damaged buildings in Manila. AP