On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Yolanda, international code name Haiyan, made landfall in the central

Philippine islands region. The 600 km-diameter typhoon Yolanda crossed the Philippine archipelago,
bringing widespread devastation in its path. Storm surges were primarily responsible for the 6,190
dead, 1,785 missing and 28,626 injured in Yolanda’s aftermath.
Yolanda is one of the most powerful typhoons to have made landfall in recorded history, with
maximum sustained winds reaching 315 kph (170 knots) with gusts up to 379 kph (205 knots) just
before landfall. This makes it equivalent to a Category 5 typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane
scale, which has the capacity to cause catastrophic damage, a high percentage of destruction of framed
homes, total roof failure and wall collapse, isolation of residential areas due to fallen trees and power
poles, and power outages that could lasts for weeks to months (Lagmay, 2014).

It started as a region of low pressure in the West Pacific Ocean early on 2nd November 2013 and was
upgraded to a tropical storm (TS) with the name Yolanda after subsequent intensification. Upon entry
of the typhoon into the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the Philippine Atmospheric
Geophysical Astronomical Services Administration gave it a local name of Yolanda. Regular 6 hourly
bulletins on the severe weather disturbance were issued by the Philippine weather bureau with short
updates given every hour. Typhoon Yolanda made landfall in Guiuan, Eastern Samar on 8th November
2013 at 04:40 AM local time.

By 7th November, storm signal warnings had been raised by PAGASA, including storm surge
warnings in many parts of the country. Typhoon Yolanda hit the eastern part of the Philippines on 8th
November, following a track heading towards the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), crossing the
majority of the Visayas region at a speed of 40.7 kph (22 knots). Yolanda maintained its structure as it
moved over the east central Philippines. JMA observed that the lowest value of central pressure was
895 hPa (very low central pressure means very high wind speed) and typhoon intensity increased
from very strong to violent.

In terms of wind speed, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center touted Yolanda as the most intense tropical
cyclone in the world for 2013. As Typhoon Yolanda traversed through the country, it caused damage to
houses and infrastructure, flooding in low-lying areas, landslides and storm surges. Initial simulations
reveal storm surges to have inundated an estimated 98 km in Leyte and 93 km in Samar, two of the
most devastated islands in the Philippines. Other coastal areas in the central Philippines region also
experienced floods due to storm surges. Super Typhoon Yolanda is the deadliest typhoon ever to hit the
Philippines in recent history leaving 6300 dead, 1061 missing and 28,689 injured (Lagmay, 2014).

The storm surges of Yolanda were predicted two days in advance with a complete list that was
broadcast over media the night before Yolanda made landfall. Unfortunately, despite the advanced
warnings, these were not translated into appropriate action in every coastal village in the Central
Philippines region.

Although communication of storm surge impacts could have been made better, it was not enough to
have mitigated the Yolanda disaster. There were those who heeded warnings but they too perished in
evacuation centers in Tacloban, Leyte.  The raging sea also overwhelmed even weather scientists, those
already well versed with deadly storm surges.

Critical to any action to prepare and prevent disasters are reliable hazard maps. Although specific
warnings in places likely to be hit by 4-5 meter storm surges were provided, it was not sufficient to
elicit the appropriate response.  These storm surge warnings only provided absolute values in a relative
landscape.

How far inland should one go to escape death from storm surges? Coastal landscapes vary and
assuming people understood storm surges, still, nobody could have responded appropriately without
accurate hazard maps. Moving 100 meters or even 1000 meters inland from the coastline would seem
enough, but not quite. Yolanda storm surges entered as far as 2 km inland. In Tacloban, 70% of the
evacuation centers were inundated by the deadly incursion of the sea because existing hazard maps did
not show the storm surge hazard accurately (Lagmay and Kerle, 2015).

Tacloban, Leyte
Tacloban was the city hardest hit during the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. The super
typhoon barreled through the provincial capital, affecting the 221,174-strong population,
rendering 2,646 dead and 701 missing due to storm surges, strong winds, and heavy rainfall
(NDRRMC, 2014).
Three days prior, the then two-month-old Storm Surge Hazard Mapping Team of Project
NOAH started running simulations to predict the storm surge heights in the area using the
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) model and WXTide. On 7 November, they produced a
list of areas that will experience storm surges with the corresponding predicted height and
estimated time of maximum surge. On this list, Tacloban had the 3rd highest, with 4.5 meters
(14.8 feet) storm tide height. Unfortunately, this list of storm surge heights did not translate
well despite early warning, as the storm surge maps we have today were not yet completed at
the time.
Tacloban residents were used to typhoons, but according to some interviews, they were
reportedly caught by surprise by the deluge coming from the sea. Several concrete structures
where residents usually take shelter in were completely washed out by the surge. The
Astrodome was also flooded with storm surges, drowning several people while others climbed
up the bleachers to safety. This event stands out in the history of Tacloban as the deadliest
event in recent history.