Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021) 191e199
www.keaipublishing.com/tcrr

2020 tropical cyclones in the Philippines: A review

Gemma Dela Cruz Santos
College of Education, Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Philippines
Available online 20 September 2021

Abstract

The official website of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said more tropical
cyclones (TCs) enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) than anywhere else in the world. With the average of 20 TCs per year, about
eight (8) or nine (9) of them are crossing the Philippines. The peak of the typhoon season is July through October, when nearly 70% of all
typhoons develop (http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/climate/tropical-cyclone-information). Based on the report of the Asian Disaster Reduction
Center (ADRC), five of the typhoons that visit the country are destructive and being situated in the “Pacific Ring of Fire” makes the country
vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Its geographical location and physical environment also contribute to its high
susceptibility to tsunami, sea-level rise, storm surges, landslides, flash/flood/flooding, and drought (https://www.adrc.asia/nationinforma-
tion.php?NationCode ¼ 608&Lang en). For the past years, some typhoons that visited the country brought serious damages and kill many
Filipinos by floods and landslides. The researcher comes up with the idea of assessing the aftermath of 2020 typhoons that visited the country.
The data used by the researcher were collected from different sources, namely NDRRMC (National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council), PAGASA, social media and other websites. The result of the study reveals that the most destructive typhoon in 2020 that caused huge
damage on the infrastructure and agriculture is Ulysses followed by Rolly, Quinta, Ambo, Vicky, Pepito, Ofel, and Marce. Most of the affected
areas are those nearer to water bodies, surrounded by mountains with few trees to absorb a huge amount of water and situated in the low-lying
areas.
© 2021 The Shanghai Typhoon Institute of China Meteorological Administration. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi
Communication Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Keywords: ADRC; NDRRMC; PAGASA; TC; Pacific ring of fire

1. Introduction occurrences of strong typhoons have become more frequent,

Among all the meteorological disasters, typhoons impose
significant threats to human lives and urban development not
only because of their high frequency of occurrence and great
destructive power, but also due to other typhoon induced
hazards, such as inundation caused by storm surge and heavy
precipitation. In the context of global warming, the
E-mail address: gemmasantos052569@gmail.com.
Peer review under responsibility of Shanghai Typhoon Institute of China
Meteorological Administration.
Production and hosting by Elsevier on behalf of KeAi
so as the induced marine disasters (Liu et al., 2020).
“Typhoon,” originating from the Chinese tai (strong) and
fung (wind), is the term used to describe a tropical cyclone in
the Western Pacific Ocean. Tropical cyclones are developed in
the northern hemisphere during the months of JulyeNovember
in an area just north of the equator in a large area ranging from
130◦ to 180◦ East and 5◦ to 15◦ North (Holden and Marshall,
2018).
The Philippines is considered as one of the world's natural
hazard “hot spots” and suffers more natural hazards like
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, floods, droughts
and landslides than any other country, with an average of
eight
disasters per year. Each year about 20 typhoons, equivalent to
25% of the global occurrence of typhoons, occur in the Phil-
ippine Area of Responsibility. Most of the typhoons occur

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcrr.2021.09.003
2225-6032/© 2021 The Shanghai Typhoon Institute of China Meteorological Administration. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communi-
cation Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
 G.D.C.
during rainy season (July until September). The data analysis
of the typhoon events during 1880e1994 seem to indicate a
slow shift towards the end of the year, that is, the number of
typhoons in the rainy season seems to decrease overtime,
while the number of typhoons which occur in December have
increased (https://daneshyari.com/article/preview/992558.
pdf). In the recent decade, the Philippines has experienced a
number of intense and devastating TCs afflicting the country.
In 2009, Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana)
flooded the country's capital, Metro Manila in the Luzon re-
gion by bringing a month's worth of rain which surpasses the
country's forty-year record for rain over one day (Abon et al.,
2011). This was followed by similarly devastating storms such
as Typhoon Pepeng (Parma) in 2009; Typhoon Juan (Megi) in
2010; Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) in 2011, Super
Typhoon Pablo (Bopha) in 2012; Typhoon Labuyo (Utor) and
Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, and Tropical
Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) in 2014. Tropical Storm (TS)
Ondoy, Typhoon (TY) Labuyo, TY Glenda, and TS Mario
have made landfall in Luzon, the northernmost and largest
island among the Philippine Island Groups. With a population
of 48.5 million, Luzon is also home to the country's capital
Metro Manila which has been severely affected by the
mentioned storms (Racoma, 2016).
An average of 20 typhoons enter the Philippine area of
responsibility (PAR) annually, 9 of which make landfall
passing through the southern part of Luzon island and eastern
part of the Visayan islands (Lapidez et al., 2015).
Vergano (2021) explained that there are five reasons why
Philippines is so prone to disasters. The five reasons include:
(a) It has warm ocean water. For a typhoon to form, the
temperature must be above 28 ◦C. In the Western Pacific, the
water's normally above 28◦; (b) Many Filipinos live in low-
lying coastal islands with more than 60 percent of the popu-
lation living in coastal zones; (c) The continuous deforestation
that caused flooding and landslides; (d) The Philippines rests
on Pacific's earthquake and volcano ring of fire and (e) The
rapid construction of houses and inadequate evacuation plans.
According to Admin et al. (2017) of Environmental Science
for Social Change Incorporated (ESSC), Philippines is one of
the most severely deforested countries in the tropics and most
deforestation has happened in the last 40 years. Estimates
place forest cover in the Philippines in the year 1900 at 21
million hectares, covering 70% of the total land area. By
1999, forests covered 5.5 million hectares; only 800,000 ha
of this was primary forest. As illegal logging continues, the
remain-
ing forest is endangered.
PAGASA classified tropical cyclones based on their sus-
tained winds: Super Typhoon (>220 km/h; >119 knot);
Typhoon (118e220 km/h; 64e119 knots); Severe Tropical
Storm (89e117 km/h; 48e63knots); Tropical Storm
(62e88 km/h) and Tropical Depression (≤ 61 km/h; 33
knots).
The top 11 strongest tropical cyclones at landfall in world
history, according to data from the National Hurricane Center
(NHC) and JTWC are: (1) 195 mph: Super Typhoon Rolly
1
Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)
(Goni), 2020, Catanduanes, Philippines; (2) 190 mph: Super
Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), 2013, Leyte, Philippines; (3) 190
mph: Super Typhoon Meranti, 2016, Itbayat, Philippines; (4)
185 mph: Hurricane Dorian, 2019, Bahama Islands; (5) 185
mph: Great Labor Day Hurricane, 1935, Florida, U.S.; (6) 185
mph: Super Typhoon Joan, 1959, Eastern Taiwan; (7) 180
mph: Hurricane Irma, 2017, Leeward Islands; (8) 180 mph:
Cyclone Winston, 2016, Fiji; (9) 180 mph: Super Typhoon
Megi, 2010, Luzon, Philippines; (10) 180 mph: Super
Typhoon Zeb, 1998, Luzon, Philippines; and (11) 180 mph:
Cyclone Monica, 2006, Northern Territory, Australia.
Ominously, seven of the 11 strongest landfalls in recorded
history have occurred since 2006. Prior to Goni, 20 category 5
super typhoons with winds of at least 160 mph had hit the
Philippines since 1952, according to NOAA's historical hur-
ricane tracks (IBTrACS) database (Masters, 2021).
This study will focus on investigating the impact of 2020
tropical cyclones that visited the country. The result of the
study can be used to improve the technology of typhoon
disaster risk management, the level of emergency response,
and the ability to prevent and reduce disasters from typhoon.
This could be an eye opener to the Filipinos and other
agencies (private and public) responsible for
preventing/causing different disasters.
2. Objectives of the study
The objectives of the study are the following:
1. Find out the tropical cyclones that brought destructions to
the country on 2020;
2. Describe the destructions made by the tropical cyclones;
and
3. Recommend precautionary measures to the affected areas.
3. Methodology
Information and data about the damages and economic
losses in the Philippines induced by different tropical cyclones
were collected from different sources, namely NDRRMC,
PAGASA, and social media. The methods for collecting the
data from these sources are concisely described in the
following paragraphs.
3.1. NDRRMC reports
From the reports of the NDRRMC, the researcher gathered
data on the reported damages caused by the specific tropical
cyclone.
3.2. PAGASA
From the weather bulletin released by the agency, the
researcher gathered her data about the strength and scope of
the typhoon.
 G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)

3.3. Social media
By the news and photos on weather conditions uploaded in
the social media, the researcher gathered reliable data on the
reports of the typhoon.
4. Results and discussions
Table 1 shows the data of the most destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Ulysses with an international
name of Vamco visited the country on November 9e13,
2020. Ulysses has sustained winds of 118e220 km/h and
64e119 knots. Based on the report of Climate Change
Commission, Ulysses carries 356 mm of rain for the whole
day of November 12. About 5,184,824 persons from Region
1e3, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Region V, CAR and
NCR were affected. In terms of casualties, there were 101
dead, 85 injured and 10 missing. A total of 209,170 houses
were damaged. The total cost of damage in the infrastructure
amounted to Php 12,910,182,003.17 and Php
7,318,946,822.00 in agriculture. The typhoon caused in-
cidents like: 213 flooded areas, 51 landslides, 2 maritime
incidents, 65 places with uprooted trees/fallen posts, and 1
storm surge. The main cause of massive flooding in Cagayan
was due to being the catch basin of rain water from Cagayan
Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region, the opening of
the floodgates of the nearby Magat Dam and previous trop-
ical cyclones had also contributed to the situation
(anonymous_7).
Table 2 shows the data of the second destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Rolly with an international
name of Goni that occurred in the Philippine Area of Re-
sponsibility (PAR) on October 29 e November 1, 2020.
Super typhoon Rolly has sustained winds of more than
220 km/h and more than 119 knots. There were 2,030,130
persons affected from Region 1e3, CALABARZON,
MIMAROPA, Region V, Region VIII, CAR and NCR. There
were 25 dead, 399 injured, and 6 missing. A total of 170,773
houses were damaged. The total cost of damage in the
infrastructure amounted to Php 12,867,014,693.78 and Php
5,008,430,180.00 in agriculture. The super typhoon caused
incidents like: 23 flooded areas, 2 landslide/soilcollapse, 1
maritime incident, 7 places with uprooted tress/fallenpost and
1 lahar flow (anonymous_6).
Super Typhoon Goni slams into Philippines as strongest
landfalling tropical cyclone on record. Known as ‘Rolly’ in
the Philippines, the storm likely caused catastrophic damage
in the region of Catanduanes Island, where the typhoon made
its initial landfall with 195 mph winds (Masters, 2021).
Table 3 shows the data of the third destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Quinta with an international
name of Molave that occurred in the Philippine Area of Re-
sponsibility (PAR) on October 23e27, 2020. Typhoon Quinta
has sustained winds of 118e220 km/h and 64e119 knots.
There were 888,375 persons affected from Region III, Region
VeVIII, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Region V to
VIII. There were 27 dead, 40 injured and 4 missing. A total of
93,881 houses were damaged. The total cost of damage in the
infrastructure amounted to Php 1,561,935,343.72 and Php
2,660,730,962.00 in agriculture. The typhoon caused incidents
like: 73 flooded areas, 26 landslide/soil collapse, 12 maritime
incidents and 1 storm surge (anonymous_3).
Table 4 shows the data of the fourth destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Ambo with an international
name of Vongfong that occurred in the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) on May 10e15, 2020. Typhoon Ambo
has sustained winds of 118e220 km/h and 64e119 knots.
There were 578,571 persons affected from Region I to III,
Region VIII and CAR. About 169 injured and 57,269 houses
were damaged. The total cost of damage in the infrastructure
amounted to Php 614,325,000.00 and Php 960,187,997.00 in
agriculture. The typhoon left 5 areas flooded (anonymous_1).

Table 1
Destructions brought by Ulysses.
Local Name Ulysses Human Casualties 101 dead
85 Injured
10 missing
International Name Vamco Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence November 9e13, 2020 No. Of Houses 209,170
Category Typhoon Infrastructure Php 12,910,182,003.17
Provinces Affected Region 1 Agriculture Php 7,318,946,822.00
Region 2
Region 3
CALABARZON
MIMAROPA
Region V
CAR
NCR
Affected Population 5,184,824 Other Incidents
(No. of Persons) Flooding 213
Landslide/Soil Collapse 51
Maritime 2
Uprooted Tree/Fallen Posts 65
Storm Surge 1

1
 G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)

Table 2
Destructions brought by Rolly.
Local Name Rolly Human Casualties 25 dead
399 Injured
6 missing
International Name Goni Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence October 29 e November 1, 2020 No. Of Houses 170,773
Category Super Typhoon Infrastructure Php 12,867,014,693.78
Provinces Affected Region I Agriculture Php 5,008,430,180.00
Region II
Region III
CALABARZON
MIMAROPA
Region V
Region VIII
CAR
NCR
Affected Population (No. of Persons) 2,030,130 Other Incidents
Flooding 23
Landslide/Soil Collapse 2
Maritime 1
Uprooted Tree/Fallen Posts 7
Lahar Flow 1

Table 5 shows the data of the fifth destructive tropical

cyclone of 2020. It was named Vicky with an international
name of Krovanh that occurred in the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR) on December 18e20, 2020. Tropical
storm Vicky has sustained winds of 62e88 km/h and 34e47
knots. There were 175,949 persons affected from Region VII
to VIII, Region XI and CARAGA. About 9 were dead, 2
injured and 1 missing. One thousand fifty-four (1054) houses
were damaged by the typhoon. The total cost of damage in the
infrastructure amounted to Php 162,481,970.75 and Php
51,140,718.00 in agriculture. The typhoon left 8 areas flooded
and one area with landslides (anonymous_8).
Table 6 shows the data of the fifth destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Pepito with an international
name of Saudel that occurred in the Philippine Area of Re-
sponsibility (PAR) on October 19e22, 2020. Typhoon Pepito
has sustained winds of 118e220 km/h and 64e119 knots.
There were 165,763 persons affected from Region II to III,
CALABARZON and CAR. About 9 houses, Php
29,240,000.00 worth of infrastructure and Php 76,577,126.00
worth in agriculture were damaged by the typhoon. The
typhoon left 20 areas flooded, and 12 areas with landslides
(anonymous_5).
Table 7 shows the data of the seventh destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Ofel occurred in the Philippine
Area of Responsibility (PAR) on October 13e15, 2020.
Tropical Depression Ofel has sustained winds of less than
61 km/h and less than 33 knots. There were 26,685 persons
affected from Region V, Region VII and CALABARZON.
About 7 houses and Php 1,346,097.90 worth in agriculture
were damaged by the typhoon. The typhoon left 22 areas
flooded (anonymous_2).

Table 3
Destructions brought by Quinta.
Local Name Quinta Human Casualties 27 dead
40 Injured
4 missing
International Name Molave Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence October 23e27, 2020 No. Of Houses 93,881
Category Typhoon Infrastructure P1,561,935,343.72
Provinces Affected Region III Agriculture 2,660,730,962.00
Region VeVIII
CALABARZON
MIMAROPA
Region VeVIII
Affected Population 888,375 Other Incidents
(No. of Persons) Flooding 73
Landslide/Soil Collapse 26

1
G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)
Maritime
12
Posts
Storm Surge
1

1
 G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)

Table 4
Destructions brought by
Local Name Ambo Human Casualties 0 dead
169 Injured
0 missing
International Name Vongfong Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence May 10e15, 2020 No. Of Houses 57, 269
P614,325,000.00
960,187,997.00
Category Typhoon Infrastructure P614,325,000.00
Provinces Affected Region I-III Agriculture 960,187,997.00
Region VIII
CAR
Affected Population (No. of Persons) 578,571 Other Incidents
Flooding 5

Table 5
Destructions brought by Vicky.
Local Name Vicky Human Casualties 9 dead
2 Injured
1 missing
International Name Krovanh Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence December 18e20, 2020 No. Of Houses 1054
Category Tropical Storm Infrastructure P 162,481,970.75
Provinces Affected Region VII Agriculture P 51,140,718.00
Region VIII
Region XI
CARAGA
Affected Population 175,949 Other Incidents
(No. of Persons) Flooding 8
Landslide/Soil Collapse 1

Table 6
Destructions brought by Pepito.
Local Name Pepito Human Casualties No casualties
International Name Saudel Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence October 19e22, 2020 No. Of Houses 9
Category Typhoon Infrastructure P29,240,000.00
Provinces Affected Region II-III Agriculture P76,577,126.00
CALABARZON
CAR
Affected Population (No. of Persons) 165,763 Other Incidents
Flooding 20
Landslide/Soil Collapse 12

Table 7
Destructions brought by Ofel.
Local Name Ofel Human Casualties No casualties
International Name None Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence October 13e15, 2020 No. Of Houses 7
Category Tropical Depression Infrastructure 0
Provinces Affected Region V Agriculture P 1,346,097.90
Region VII
CALABARZON
Affected Population (No. of 26,685 Other Incidents
Persons) Flooding 22

1
 G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)

Table 8
Destructions brought by Marce.
Local Name Marce Human Casualties No casualties
International Name Dolphin Approximate Damages
Date of Occurrence November 23e27, 2020 No. Of Houses 16
Category Tropical Storm Infrastructure P1,500,000.00
Provinces Affected Region VI Agriculture No Approximate Amount but
MIMAROPA 40 ha of palay seedlings to
CARAGA tiltering stage and 15 ha
palay in ripening stage were
damaged in Bulacan,
Estancia, Iloilo
Affected Population (No. of 14,309 Other Incidents
Persons) Flooding 8
Landslide/Soil Collapse 2

Table 8 shows the data of the eighth destructive tropical
cyclone of 2020. It was named Marce with an international
name of Dolphin occurred in the Philippine Area of Re-
sponsibility (PAR) on November 23 to 27, 2020. Tropical
storm Marce has sustained winds of 62e88 km/h and 34e47
knots. There were 14,309 persons affected from Region VI,
MIMAROPA and CARAGA. About 16 houses, Php
1,500,00.00 worth of infrastructure and 40 ha of Palay in
ripening stage in Bulacan, Estancia and Iloilo were damaged
by the typhoon (anonymous_4).
Table 9 shows that the most frequently visited by a tropical
cyclone are CALABARZON and Region III both have per-
centages of 11.90. CALABARZON, officially designated
as Region IV-A, covers five provinces, namely, Cavite,
Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. CALABARZON is
bordered, clockwise from the North, by the National Capital
Region, Laguna de Bay, Central Luzon, Philippine Sea, Bicol
Region, Ragay Gulf, Sibuyan Sea, Tayabas Bay, Verde Island
Passage, South China Sea, and the Manila Bay.
Region III lies between Manila and Northern Luzon. It is
composed of seven provinces, twelve cities and 118 munici-
palities. Its 7 provinces are Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva
Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. Its 12 cities are Bal-
anga from Bataan, Malolos and San Jose del Monte from
Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Gapan, Mu~noz, Palayan and San
Jose from Nueva Ecija; Angeles and San Fernando from
Pampanga, Tarlac from Tarlac; and Olongapo from Zambales.
It includes all land area north of Manila Bay from the tip
of Bataan
peninsula on the west, and all the lands north of the Caraballo
Mountains on the east. It is the longest contiguous area of
lowlands, and is otherwise known as the Central Plains of
Luzon.
The least visited by typhoon is Region XI. Region XI
consists of 4 provinces and 5 cities namely, the provinces of
Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Com-
postela Valley province and the cities of Davao, Panabo,
Tagum, Digos and island garden city of Samal. Region XI is
located in the Southeastern portion of the island of Mindanao
surrounding the Davao Gulf. It is bounded on the north by the
provinces of Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon.
In the east it is bounded by the Philippine Sea; and in the west
by the Central Mindanao provinces. Within the broader
geographic context, the Davao Region area faces Micronesia
in the Southern Pacific Ocean to the east, and the Eastern
Indonesia through the Celebes Sea to the south.
Typhoons usually move from east to west across the
country, all the way north or west. Storms most frequently
make landfall on the islands of Eastern Visayas, Bicol region,
and northern Luzon, whereas the southern island and region of
Mindanao is largely free of typhoons. Climate change may
change the direction of typhoons and worsen the situation
because extreme weather events such as typhoons pose
various risks and threats to the Philippines.
Table 10 shows that tropical cyclone Ulysses affects most
in the country. According to the report of NDRRMC on
January 13, 2021, 5,184,824 persons in 7827 barangays in
Regions I to III, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Region V,
NCR and CAR were affected. Of which, 5305 families/20,854
persons are being served inside 145 evacuation centers while
34 families/103 persons are being served outside evacuation
centers.
According to the official website of reliefweb, typhoon
Ulysses affected more than three million people from 5594
barangays in eight regions.
Tropical cyclone Ulysses has the highest number killed
persons. Based on the report of NDRRMC dated January 13,
2021, of the total number of reported deaths, 51 were
Table 9
Provinces that frequently visited by the tropical cyclones 2020.
Provinces Frequency of Tropical Percentage
Cyclone Occurrence
CALABARZON 5 11.90
CAR 4 9.52
CARAGA 2 4.76
MIMAROPA 4 9.52
NCR 2 4.76
Region I 3 7.14
Region II 4 9.52
Region III 5 11.90
Region V 4 9.52
Region VI 2 4.76
Region VII 3 7.14
Region VIII 3 7.14
Region XI 1 2.38
Total 42 100.00

1
 G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)

Table 10
Number of persons affected by the cyclone.
Tropical Cyclone Number of Persons Affected Number of Number of Number of
Persons died Persons Injured Persons Missing
Ulysses 5,184,824 101 85 10
Rolly 2,030,130 29 399 6
Quinta 888,375 27 40 4
Ambo 578,571 0 169 0
Vicky 175,949 9 2 1
Pepito 165,763 0 0 0
Ofel 26,685 0 0 0
Marce 14,309 0 0 0

confirmed in Regions II, III, CALABARZON and CAR
region.
In terms of the number of injured persons, tropical cyclone
Rolly has the highest number of injured persons. Based on the
report of NDRRMC dated November 11, 399 were injured in
Regions I, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and Region V.
Concerning missing persons, there are many missing per-
sons after the tropical cyclone Ulysses. Based on the report of
NDRRMC dated January 13, 2021, a total of 10 missing
persons reported in Regions II, III, CALABARZON, Region
V, CAR and NCR.
Despite the figures still being preliminary for 2019 and
2020, a record of more than 12,000 deaths occurred
between 2011 and 2020, including almost 8000 killed by
super typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The 1980s were also a time
when many storms ravaged the country e and more than
9000 people died
e but the number of 67 storms in the 80s still does not
come close to the 2010s. This is despite the fact that the
2020 typhoon season is still ongoing in the Pacific. The
decade's 91st storm e typhoon Ulysses e hit the Philippines
on Nov 11, killing 73 and affecting more than four million
people (Buchholz and Richter, 2020).
Table 11 shows the recorded damages of the 2020 tropical
cyclones. Based on the report of NDRRMC dated January 13,
2021, Ulysses caused most of the damages concerning houses,
infrastructure and agriculture.
Pertaining to the number of damaged houses, tropical
cyclone Ulysses destroyed about a total of 209,170 houses in
Regions I, II, III, CALABARZON, Region V and CAR.
Concerning agricultural damages, tropical cyclone Ulysses
destroyed crops amounted to P 646,221,401.00 in CAR, P
443,762,500.00 in Region I, P 2,129,596,097.00 in Region II,
P

Table 11
Tropical cyclones' recorded damages.
Tropical Cyclone Number of Damaged Houses Amount of Damaged Amount of Damaged
Infrastructure Agriculture in Peso
In Peso
Ulysses 209,170 12, 910,182,003.17 7,318,946,822.00
Rolly 170,773 12, 867,014,693.78 5,008,430,180.00
Quinta 93,881 1,561,935,343.72 2,660,730,962.00
Ambo 57,269 614,325,000.00 960,187,997.00
Vicky 1054 162,481,970.75 51,140,178.00
Pepito 9 29,240,000.00 76,577,126.00
Ofel 7 0 1,346,097.90
Marce 16 1,500,000.00 No approximate damages
reported

Table 12
Number of areas with incidents monitored.
Tropical Cyclone Incidents Monitored Total Number of Incidents
Flood Landslides/Soil Collapse Maritime Uprooted Trees/Fallen Posts Storm Surge Lahar Flow
Ulysses 213 51 2 65 1 0 332
Rolly 23 2 1 7 0 1 34
Quinta 73 26 12 0 1 0 112
Ambo 5 0 0 0 0 0 5
Vicky 8 1 0 0 0 0 9
Pepito 20 12 0 0 0 0 32
Ofel 22 0 0 0 0 0 22
Marce 8 2 0 0 0 0 10

1
 G.D.C.
1,379,824,325.00 in Region III, P 1,265,452,031.00 in CALA-
BARZON, P 57,041,500.00 in MIMAROPA, 629,185,763.00
in
Region V and P 700,477,505.00 in NCR.
In terms of infrastructure, Ulysses destroyed infrastructures
worth P 648,295,000.00 in Region I, P 5,009,917,825.00 in
Region II, P 1,875,509,651.28 in Region III,
P2,356,670,200.00 in CALABARZON, P 100,029,000.00 in
MIMAROPA, P 2,304,205,000.00 in Region V, P
598,555,326.89 in CAR and P
17,000,000.00.
The damage caused by typhoons has shot up in the last
decade, in part caused by the severe destruction inflicted by
Yolanda. The Asian Disaster Reduction Center estimates
Yolanda's damages at 481 billion Philippine pesos (10 billion
U.S. dollars). Even when disregarding the cost of Yolanda,
storm damages in the 2010s still stand at a staggering 336
billion pesos e more than double or even triple that of other
decades e despite including only the years 2011e2018.
Data showing monetary losses is not yet available from the
ADRC website for 2019 and 2020, but available reports
from the Philippines government show that another 38 billion
pesos in losses could be added to the decade's tally still
(Buchholz and Richter, 2020).
According to NEDA (National Economic and
Development Authority) report dated December 4, 2020, the
faster inflation in November 2020 was mainly driven by the
increase in the price index of food. Food inflation accelerated
to 4.5 percent in November from 2.1 percent in October
following weather disturbances. In the report also includes
the faster the com- bined amount of damage and losses to
the agriculture sector brought by typhoons Ofel, Nika,
Pepito, Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses amounted to Php 15.3
billion (Recent typhoons and transport restrictions pose
upward inflation pressures e neda. (2020, December 04).
Retrieved September 16, 2021, from
https://neda.gov.ph/recent-typhoons-and-transport-
restrictions-pose-upward-inflation-pressures-neda/).
Table 12 shows the number of areas with incidents moni-
tored. Based on the table above, tropical cyclone Ulysses
caused most incidents in different regions. It causes 23 floods,
51 landslides, 2 maritime, 65 uprooted and 1 storm surge. A
total of 332 incidents were monitored in Regions I to III,
CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Region V, CAR and NCR.
Fernando Siringan, former director of the University of
the Philippines Marine Science Institute, UP-MSI said that
Cagayan province serves as a catch basin of water from
surrounding mountain ranges. Both water and sediments
from the mountains cause the rivers to overflow, prompting
floods, Siringan said that flooding inundated large parts of
Cagayan Valley in the wake of Typhoon Ulysses. Alcala
Mayor Cristina Antonio also cited illegal logging and agri-
culture in slopes and mountains as causes of flooding where
mountains, slopes and watersheds in the whole Cagayan
Valley have been stripped of native trees that hold soil and
regulate water release. Trees are cut down and forests
threatened not only by illegal logging but by agriculture in
1
Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)
slopes and mountains, particularly yellow corn farming and
the use of herbicide that kills all vegetation and weakens the
soil (ABS-CBN News and Jaehwa Bernardo, 2020).
5. Conclusions
The two tropical cyclones that caused major destructions in
the country in the year 2020 are Typhoon Ulysses and Super
Typhoon Rolly. Typhon Ulysses is the most destructive trop-
ical cyclone of 2020 that caused major destruction in the main
island of Luzon by its destructive winds and dumping heavy
rainfall that triggered massive flooding in several areas
including Region II (Cagayan Valley), which was one of the
most severely affected. The main cause of massive flooding
was due to being the catch basin of rain water from Cagayan
Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region, the opening of
the floodgates of the nearby Magat Dam and previous tropical
cyclones had also contributed to the situation.
According to the official website of PAGASA, Super
Typhoon Rolly had maximum sustained winds of 225 km/h
and gustiness of up to 280 km/h. Super typhoon Rolly brought
heavier damages to the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes.
Most of the affected areas are those nearer to water bodies,
surrounded by mountains with few trees to absorbed huge
amount of water and situated in the low-lying areas.
6. Recommendations
The study came up with the following recommendations:
1. The local government of the affected areas may conduct a
technical study related to searching ways of channelling
the rainwater from heavy rains.
2. The local government may relocate the households in
places far from floods and landslide occurrence.
3. The residents may practice the waste reduction system to
decrease the household waste that causes flood to some
areas.
4. The local government may improve also the drainage
system in the flood prone areas.
5. The government may a lot more funds for the improve-
ment of the infrastructures.
6. The Local Government Unit (LGU) may formulate a
long- term program for engineering interventions,
reforestation, and flood management system.
7. The Department of Agriculture may need to intensify the
distribution of climate-resilient technologies and other
production support assistance to mitigate production loss
in agricultural sector.
8. To lessen the suffering of the environment and people,
greater and more serious penalties may be imposed among
environmental protection violators.
9. The National Irrigation Administration, who are respon-
sible for the monitoring of dam and irrigation system in
the country, may increase the number of liaison officers
 G.D.C. Tropical Cyclone Research and Review 10 (2021)

in-charge of disseminating information and precautionary anonymous_7, Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/4138/SitRep_no_

measures among all people vulnerable to the risk and 29_re_TY_Ulysses_as_of_13JAN2021.pdf. (n.d.).
damage of flood. anonymous_8, Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/4139/SitRep_no_
10. Conduct a ten-year study of tropical cyclones that visited 07_re_TD_VICKY_as_of_26DEC2020.pdf. (n.d.).
Buchholz, K., Richter, F., 2020, November 30. Infographic: 2010s See
the country. Record Number of Storms in the Philippines. from
https://www.statista.com/chart/ 23638/storms-storm-deaths-in-the-
philippines/. (Accessed 15 March 2021).
References Holden, W., Marshall, S., 2018, May 11. Climate Change and Typhoons in
the PHILIPPINES: Extreme Weather Events in the Anthropocene.
Retrieved March 12, 2021, from
Abon, C., David, C., Pellejera, N., 2011, April 26. Reconstructing the
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
Tropical Storm KETSANA Flood Event in Marikina RIVER,
B9780128120569000245.
PHILIPPINES. from https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/15/1283/2011/.
Lapidez, J., Tablazon, J., Dasallas, L., Gonzalo, L., Cabacaba, K., Ramos, M.,
(Accessed 16
Malano, V., 2015, July 02. Identification of storm Surge vulnerable areas
September 2021).
in the Philippines through the simulation of Typhoon HAIYAN-
ABS-CBN News, Jaehwa Bernardo, A., 2020, November 15. What causes
INDUCED storm surge levels over historical storm tracks. from
severe flooding in CAGAYAN PROVINCE? from https://news.abs-cbn.
https://nhess. copernicus.org/articles/15/1473/2015/. (Accessed 16
com/spotlight/11/15/20/what-causes-severe-flooding-in-cagayan-province.
September 2021).
(Accessed 16 September 2021).
Liu, G., Li, X., Wang, J., Kou, Y., Wang, X., 2020, June 04. Research on the
Admin, E., Claire, M., Miclat, S., Zamora, M., 2017, March 28. Low forest
Statistical Characteristics of Typhoon Frequency. from https://www.
cover in the Philippines : issues and responses at the community level
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0029801820305047. (Accessed
from https://essc.org.ph/content/lview/579/1/. (Accessed 16 September
12 March 2021).
2021).
Masters, J., 2021, May 16. Super typhoon Goni slams into Philippines AS
anonymous_1, Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/1963/Sitrep_No_9_
strongest landfalling tropical cyclone on record " Yale Climate
re_TD_AMBO_as_of_6JUN2012_0600H.pdf. (n.d.).
connections from.
anonymous_2, Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/2173/Severe_
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/11/super-typhoon-goni-
Weather_Bulletin_No_16_re_Tropical_Storm_OFEL_Issued_on_
slams-into-philippines-as-strongest-landfalling-tropical-cyclone-on-
26OCT2012_1700H.pdf. (n.d.).
record/. (Accessed 16 September 2021).
anonymous_3 Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/2259/SitRep_No_13_
Racoma, B.B., 2016, December. The change in rainfall from tropical cyclones
Effects_and_Response_for_Tropical_Depression_QUINTA_as_of_
due to from. https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/images/pdf/pjs_pdf/
05JAN2013_0600H.pdf. (n.d.).
vol145no4/The_Change_in_Rainfall_from_Tropical_Cyclones_
anonymous_4, Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/2968/Sitrep_No_4_
FinalCopy.pdf. (Accessed 16 September 2021).
re_Preparedness_Measures_and_Effects_of_TS_Marce_TOKAGE_as_of_
Recent Typhoons and Transport Restrictions Pose Upward Inflation Pressures
26NOV2016.pdf. (n.d.).
e Neda, 2020, December 04 from https://neda.gov.ph/recent-typhoons-
anonymous_5 Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/4129/SitRep_No_07_
and-transport-restrictions-pose-upward-inflation-pressures-neda/.
Preparedness_Measures_and_Effects_of_TY_Pepito_as_of_26Oct2020_
(Accessed 16 September 2021).
8AM.pdf. (n.d.).
Vergano, D., 2021, May 03. Five Reasons for Nature's Deadly Toll in the
anonymous_6, Https://ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/4135/SitRep_no_
Philippines. from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/
12_re_STY_ROLLY_as_of_11NOV2020.pdf. (n.d.).
131111-philippines-dangers-haiyan-yolanda-death-toll-rises. (Accessed
16 September 2021).