Typhoon Morakot (2009)
Encyclopedia
Typhoon Morakot was the deadliest typhoon to impact Taiwan
in recorded history. It formed early on August 2, 2009 as an unnamed tropical depression. During that day the depression gradually developed before being upgraded to a tropical storm and assigned the name Morakot, by the Japan Meteorological Agency
late on August 3. The large system gradually intensified as it tracked westward towards Taiwan. By August 5, the JMA and JTWC upgraded Morakot to a typhoon. Due to the size of the typhoon, the barometric pressure steadily decreased; however, maximum winds only increased slightly. Early on August 7, the storm attained its peak intensity with winds of 140 km/h (85 mph 10-minute sustained) according to the JMA. The JTWC reported the storm to be slightly stronger, with winds peaking at 150 km/h (90 mph 1-minute sustained), the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Morakot weakened slightly before making landfall in central Taiwan later that day. Roughly 24 hours later, the storm emerged back over water into the Taiwan Strait
and weakened to a severe tropical storm before making landfall in Mainland China on August 9. The storm gradually weakened as it continued to slowly track inland. The remnants of the typhoon eventually dissipated on August 11.
Typhoon Morakot wrought catastrophic damage in Taiwan, leaving 461 people dead and 192 others missing, most of whom are feared dead and roughly NT$110 billion ($3.3 billion USD) in damages. The storm produced copious amounts of rainfall, peaking at 2,777 mm (109.3 in), surpassing the previous record of 1,736 mm (68.35 in) set by Typhoon Herb
in 1996
. The extreme amount of rain triggered enormous mudslides and severe flooding throughout southern Taiwan. One mudslide buried the entire town of Xiaolin
killing an estimated 500 people in the village alone. The slow moving storm also caused widespread damage in China, leaving eight people dead and causing $1.4 billion (USD) in damages. Nearly 2,000 homes were destroyed in the country and 136,000 more were reported to have sustained damage.
In the wake of the storm, Taiwan's government faced extreme criticism for the slow response to the disaster and having only initially deployed roughly 2,100 soldiers to the affected regions. Later the number of soldiers working to recover trapped residents increased to 46,000. Rescue crews were able to retrieve thousands of trapped residents from buried villages and isolated towns across the island. Days later, Taiwan's president apologized for the government's slow response publicly. On August 19, the Taiwan government announced that they would start a NT$100 billion ($3 billion USD) reconstruction plan that would take place over a three year span in the devastated regions of southern Taiwan. Days after the storm, international aid began to be sent to the island.
The storm also caused severe flooding in the northern Philippines that killed 26 people.
(JMA) reported that a tropical depression had formed within a monsoon
trough located about 1000 km (620 mi), to the east of the Philippines. However the depression remained weak, and was downgraded to an area of low pressure before regenerating later that day. Both the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) then started to monitor the depression early the next day whilst it was located about 700 km (430 mi) to the southeast of Okinawa
, Japan
with PAGASA assigning the name Kiko to the depression. The JTWC were reporting at this time that it was an area of convection with deep convection flaring on the western side of a partially exposed low level circulation center at this time.
Later on August 3, the JMA reported that the depression had intensified into a Tropical Storm and named it as Morakot. The JTWC further designated it as Tropical Depression 09W as deep convection had increased over the low level circulation center and reported that it was moving around a low level ridge of pressure which was located to the east of the low level circulation center. On the morning of August 4, the JTWC reported that the Morakot had steadily intensified into a Tropical storm as wind-speeds were estimated to be near 65 km/h (40 mph) with deep convective banding building toward the low level circulation center under the influence of a subtropical ridge located to the east of the system. Later that day the JMA reported that Morakot had intensified into a Severe Tropical Storm before it was upgraded to a typhoon by the JMA and the JTWC early the next day.
An entire village of Shiaolin was buried at the southern county of Kaohsiung killing 439 people with many roads left damaged and the landscape changed. Other affected areas included the Taimali River mouth, the Jihben River catchment, the Gaoping River bridge linking the Linyuan to Xinyuan townships at the boundary between the Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, and several catchments in Pingtung County where the rivers flow into the Taiwan Strait. Close to 700 people were killed or missing as a result.
. A fishing boat capsized with nine fishermen missing. In all, roughly 1.5 million residents were evacuated ahead of the typhoon. A total of 34,000 watercraft sought refuge ahead of the storm.
with wind gusts as high as 65 mi/h, stranding thousands of summer holiday air travelers. Naha Airport
experienced east crosswinds of 50 mi/h which almost completely shut down the airport. Domestic and international airlines reported 252 flights canceled, stranding 41,648 passengers at the peak of the summer Obon
holidays. Some Kadena
-based U.S. aircraft were evacuated ahead of Morakot. The southern part of the Ryukyu Islands
, such as Yonaguni and Ishigaki, have been affected by gale- or storm-force winds.
, eleven villages (Pagudpod, San Juan, Baton-lapoc, Carael, Tampo, Paco, San Miguel, Bining, Bangan, and Capayawan) were submerged in 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) floods after the Pinatubo Dike overflowed around 4:00 p.m. on August 6, 2009. Joint military and police rescue teams rescued 3 Koreans and 9 Canadian nationals. About 29,000 people were affected by Morakot; nine people have been confirmed dead. Three French
tourists and two Filipino guides were killed in a flashflood caused by a landslide. Thousands have been trapped on rooftops or in trees awaiting helicopter rescue attempts and thousands have lost their homes. At least two have died from flooding. Landslides have claimed the lives of no less than twelve miners while others are still missing after a mine caved in. Schools have suspended their classes in the hardest hit area, and highways have been closed due to landslides.
/Chiayi City, Tainan County
/Tainan City (now merged as Tainan), Kaohsiung County
/Kaohsiung City (now merged as Kaohsiung), and Pingtung County
) and parts of Taitung County
and Nantou County
were flooded by record-breaking heavy rain. The rainfall in Pingtung County
exceeded 2600 millimetres (102.4 in), breaking all rainfall records of any single place in Taiwan induced by a single typhoon. Airlines in Taiwan did hold some flights in and out of airports, but seaports were closed. Electricity supplies were cut to approximately 25,000 homes.
Reports indicated that at least 600 people were missing throughout southern Taiwan. Most were residents of Xiaolin
(小林村), a mountain village with 1,300 residents in Jiaxian Township
. The village was buried by a massive mudslide that destroyed most of the town. It is estimated that 118 people died in the village due to the mudslide, which reports indicated covered all but two houses. It was reported that all roads toward Namaxia Township were either blocked or washed away by severe mudslides. Hundreds of residents were trapped for four days, and were running out of food and water. In addition, water and electricity had been cut. A rescue helicopter, working to retrieve survivors of the mudslide crashed into a mountain side early on August 11, killing the three occupants. Crews were unable to reach the wreckage due to the steep terrain.
A swollen river in Taitung County undermined 51 homes and swept them away into the Pacific, leaving numerous residents homeless. No people were in the homes when they fell into the river. In the famous Zhiben
(知本) hot springs area, the six-story Jinshuai Hotel was destroyed when it collapsed into the Zhiben River after being undermined by flood waters. Several stores in front of the hotel were washed away days earlier as the river continued to overflow its banks and inundate nearby towns and cities. Running water in Tainan County to 280,000 was shut down as flood waters contaminated the local reservoir.
Throughout Taiwan, at least 107 people were confirmed to have been killed by the storm as of August 13. The record-breaking rains also caused catastrophic agricultural losses, with estimates reaching NT$9 billion ($274 million USD). At its peak, roughly 1.58 million were without power across the island and over 710,000 were without water pressure. Tourism losses due to the typhoon were estimated to be at least NT$800 million ($24.4 million USD).
However, Morakot also ended a month-long drought and replenished reservoirs enough to warrant an end to water rationing.
The "Little Three Links
" between Kinmen
of the Republic of China
and Xiamen
of the People's Republic of China
was suspended. Almost all reservoirs in Kinmen County were full. Winds at Force 13 on the Beaufort scale
were recorded in the Matsu Islands
.
National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission is the task-force-grouped committee authorized by the law of Disaster Prevention and Protection.
province, the highest total in nearly 60 years in the province. A landslide in Pengxi, at the foot of a mountain, destroyed a three-story apartment building, with six people inside. All six were recovered from the rubble of the structure. However, two later died of their injuries. In Wenzhou
, a large landslide destroyed six apartment buildings, burying an unknown number of people, some of whom were feared dead. One person was killed after torrential rains caused the house he was in to collapse, as well as four other nearby homes.
In Xiapu county, the location of Morakot's landfall in China, 136,000 people reported damage to their homes from flooding or landslides. The fishing sector of the local industry sustained roughly 200 million yuan ($29 million USD) in losses. Fourteen townships in the county were flooded. An estimated 3.4 million people reported property damage throughout Zhejiang province, with at least 1,600 homes being destroyed. At least 10,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm and over 1 million acres (4,046.9 km²) of farmland was inundated by flooding. In China Damages from the storm amounted to $1.4 billion. Over 11 million people were affected by Typhoon Morakot throughout eastern China.
Many ports in East China were closed from Aug 8, including Waigaoqiao, Jinshan and Yangshan ports in Shanghai, Zhoushan and Ningbo ports in Zhejiang, Zhangjiagang, Nantong and Jiangyin ports in Jiangsu.
, the Government of Taiwan provided NT$1 million for each family member killed or missing and NT$250,000 for the critically injured. Due to the severity of the damage in Xiaolin access to the area was restricted to military personnel only. Military rescue personnel have recovered 700 villagers alive in three villages on Tuesday night, and another 26 were evacuated by helicopter Wednesday morning. Major-General Richard Hu said it is still too early to state how many villagers had been buried, military rescuers just know that 90% of the homes of the three villages were buried by the landslide.
President Ma Ying-jeou
and his administration have been criticised because of the slow response to Typhoon Morakot. The government was initially found to have rejected foreign aid, then to have quickly reversed that decision in response to criticism, citing that the rejection was only temporary. Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia has tendered his resignation for authorizing Taiwan's diplomats to turn down foreign aid, a decision done without the consent of more senior officials.
After the storm passed across central and southern Taiwan towards the east coast of China, the true extent of the damage caused by flooding and mudslides slowly came to be known.
Immediately after the typhoon, large civilian and military search-and-rescue operations were deployed. Helicopters were sent to numerous mountain villages, including Xiaolin, in an attempt to rescue locals who were unable to escape by foot. It was discovered that almost 400 people had vanished, and are presumed to have been buried alive when a massive mudslide wiped out 90 per cent of the village's homes. Similar stories have been reported from other small villages in the vicinity of this region.
Rescue operations continue, with foreign aid coming in from the United States, Australia, Israel and several other European and Asian countries.
Throughout Taiwan, at least 461 people were confirmed to have been killed by the storm as of August 25, with 192 people missing and 46 injured. The record-breaking rains also caused catastrophic agricultural losses, with estimates reaching NT$14.59 billion (US$443 million).
organization reports having distributed roughly 40 gallons of water to 800 people. The National Disaster Coordinating Council declared a state of calamity for the Zambales region as over 13,000 people were left homeless.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in recorded history. It formed early on August 2, 2009 as an unnamed tropical depression. During that day the depression gradually developed before being upgraded to a tropical storm and assigned the name Morakot, by the Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
late on August 3. The large system gradually intensified as it tracked westward towards Taiwan. By August 5, the JMA and JTWC upgraded Morakot to a typhoon. Due to the size of the typhoon, the barometric pressure steadily decreased; however, maximum winds only increased slightly. Early on August 7, the storm attained its peak intensity with winds of 140 km/h (85 mph 10-minute sustained) according to the JMA. The JTWC reported the storm to be slightly stronger, with winds peaking at 150 km/h (90 mph 1-minute sustained), the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Morakot weakened slightly before making landfall in central Taiwan later that day. Roughly 24 hours later, the storm emerged back over water into the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait
The Taiwan Strait or Formosa Strait, formerly known as the Black Ditch, is a 180-km-wide strait separating Mainland China and Taiwan. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to East China Sea to the northeast...
and weakened to a severe tropical storm before making landfall in Mainland China on August 9. The storm gradually weakened as it continued to slowly track inland. The remnants of the typhoon eventually dissipated on August 11.
Typhoon Morakot wrought catastrophic damage in Taiwan, leaving 461 people dead and 192 others missing, most of whom are feared dead and roughly NT$110 billion ($3.3 billion USD) in damages. The storm produced copious amounts of rainfall, peaking at 2,777 mm (109.3 in), surpassing the previous record of 1,736 mm (68.35 in) set by Typhoon Herb
Typhoon Herb
Super Typhoon Herb was the strongest and the largest storm of 1996. Herb struck the Ryūkyū Islands, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China, causing major damage. The name Herb was used in the Western Pacific name list for the first time after the list had been revised earlier in 1996...
in 1996
1996 Pacific typhoon season
The 1996 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1996, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November...
. The extreme amount of rain triggered enormous mudslides and severe flooding throughout southern Taiwan. One mudslide buried the entire town of Xiaolin
Xiaolin, Taiwan
Xiaolin is a village in Taiwan in the rural township of Jiaxian, Kaohsiung County . It is in a largely agricultural area and was destroyed by a mudslide during Typhoon Morakot in 2009.-Typhoon Morakot:...
killing an estimated 500 people in the village alone. The slow moving storm also caused widespread damage in China, leaving eight people dead and causing $1.4 billion (USD) in damages. Nearly 2,000 homes were destroyed in the country and 136,000 more were reported to have sustained damage.
In the wake of the storm, Taiwan's government faced extreme criticism for the slow response to the disaster and having only initially deployed roughly 2,100 soldiers to the affected regions. Later the number of soldiers working to recover trapped residents increased to 46,000. Rescue crews were able to retrieve thousands of trapped residents from buried villages and isolated towns across the island. Days later, Taiwan's president apologized for the government's slow response publicly. On August 19, the Taiwan government announced that they would start a NT$100 billion ($3 billion USD) reconstruction plan that would take place over a three year span in the devastated regions of southern Taiwan. Days after the storm, international aid began to be sent to the island.
The storm also caused severe flooding in the northern Philippines that killed 26 people.
Meteorological history
Early on August 2, 2009, the Japan Meteorological AgencyJapan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
(JMA) reported that a tropical depression had formed within a monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
trough located about 1000 km (620 mi), to the east of the Philippines. However the depression remained weak, and was downgraded to an area of low pressure before regenerating later that day. Both the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
(JTWC) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
(PAGASA) then started to monitor the depression early the next day whilst it was located about 700 km (430 mi) to the southeast of Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with PAGASA assigning the name Kiko to the depression. The JTWC were reporting at this time that it was an area of convection with deep convection flaring on the western side of a partially exposed low level circulation center at this time.
Later on August 3, the JMA reported that the depression had intensified into a Tropical Storm and named it as Morakot. The JTWC further designated it as Tropical Depression 09W as deep convection had increased over the low level circulation center and reported that it was moving around a low level ridge of pressure which was located to the east of the low level circulation center. On the morning of August 4, the JTWC reported that the Morakot had steadily intensified into a Tropical storm as wind-speeds were estimated to be near 65 km/h (40 mph) with deep convective banding building toward the low level circulation center under the influence of a subtropical ridge located to the east of the system. Later that day the JMA reported that Morakot had intensified into a Severe Tropical Storm before it was upgraded to a typhoon by the JMA and the JTWC early the next day.
Japan
At 0000 UTC on August 3, the JMA placed the Moji and Yokohama navtex areas under a gale warning, six hours later they also placed the Naha navtex area under a gale warning. Later that day at 1800 UTC, the JMA canceled the gale warnings for the Yokohama navtex area however at 0600 UTC the next morning the gale warning for Yokohama was reissued. The JMA kept these warnings in force before they were upgraded to a typhoon warnings as Morakot intensified into a typhoon on August 5. Early the next day, US military installations on Okinawa raised their Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR) from level 4 to level 3 which meant that winds exceeding 50 knots (93 km/h, 57 mph) were expected to affect Okinawa within 48 hours. This came as the JMA canceled the warning for Yokohama.Philippines
From their first warning PAGASA warned that the depression was expected to enhance the Southwest Monsoon and bring occasional heavy rain over Luzon and Western Visayas. However early on August 6 they placed the Batanes in Northern Luzon under Public Storm Warning Signal 1 (PSWS 1) which meant that winds of up to 35 kn (68.6 km/h) were expected in Batanes within 36 hours. They then placed Northern Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos and Norte, under PSWS 1 later that day as it moved toward Taiwan. They kept these warnings in place until early on August 8, when they revised the warnings downgrading the signal for Northern Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos and Norte, whilst putting Babuyan and Calayan Islands under PSWS 1 and then early the next day PAGASA released their final warning and downgrade all signals for the Philippines.Taiwan
- August 5, 2009: 20:30, the Central Weather BureauCentral Weather BureauThe Central Weather Bureau is the government meteorological research and forecasting institution of the Republic of China . In addition to meteorology, the Central Weather Bureau also makes astronomical observations, reports on sea conditions, and conducts research into seismology and provides...
of Taiwan issued a Sea Typhoon Alert for Morakot. - August 6, 2009: Severe Tropical Storm Morakot intensified into a typhoon.
- August 7, 2009: Morakot was closing in on Taiwan. It moved very slowly and it made landfall just before midnight.
- August 8, 2009: After midnight, most of the districts in south Taiwan recorded heavy rainfall.
An entire village of Shiaolin was buried at the southern county of Kaohsiung killing 439 people with many roads left damaged and the landscape changed. Other affected areas included the Taimali River mouth, the Jihben River catchment, the Gaoping River bridge linking the Linyuan to Xinyuan townships at the boundary between the Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties, and several catchments in Pingtung County where the rivers flow into the Taiwan Strait. Close to 700 people were killed or missing as a result.
Mainland China
More than 953,000 residents and more than 35,000 boats were evacuated back to shore in the eastern and southeastern provinces of the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. A fishing boat capsized with nine fishermen missing. In all, roughly 1.5 million residents were evacuated ahead of the typhoon. A total of 34,000 watercraft sought refuge ahead of the storm.
Japan
On Thursday August 6, shortly after mid-day, Morakot lashed Okinawa-HontoOkinawa Island
Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...
with wind gusts as high as 65 mi/h, stranding thousands of summer holiday air travelers. Naha Airport
Naha Airport
-Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
experienced east crosswinds of 50 mi/h which almost completely shut down the airport. Domestic and international airlines reported 252 flights canceled, stranding 41,648 passengers at the peak of the summer Obon
Obón
Obón is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 75 inhabitants....
holidays. Some Kadena
Kadena Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
-based U.S. aircraft were evacuated ahead of Morakot. The southern part of the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
, such as Yonaguni and Ishigaki, have been affected by gale- or storm-force winds.
Philippines
In the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, eleven villages (Pagudpod, San Juan, Baton-lapoc, Carael, Tampo, Paco, San Miguel, Bining, Bangan, and Capayawan) were submerged in 4 to 5 ft (1.2 to 1.5 m) floods after the Pinatubo Dike overflowed around 4:00 p.m. on August 6, 2009. Joint military and police rescue teams rescued 3 Koreans and 9 Canadian nationals. About 29,000 people were affected by Morakot; nine people have been confirmed dead. Three French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
tourists and two Filipino guides were killed in a flashflood caused by a landslide. Thousands have been trapped on rooftops or in trees awaiting helicopter rescue attempts and thousands have lost their homes. At least two have died from flooding. Landslides have claimed the lives of no less than twelve miners while others are still missing after a mine caved in. Schools have suspended their classes in the hardest hit area, and highways have been closed due to landslides.
Taiwan
After Morakot landed in the midnight of August 8, almost the entire southern region of Taiwan (Chiayi CountyChiayi County
Chiayi County is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. Its historical name in Taiwanese Hokkien derives from Tsirosen in the Formosan languages...
/Chiayi City, Tainan County
Tainan County
Tainan County was located in southern Taiwan. The name "Tainan" means "Southern Taiwan". Formerly a county of the Republic of China , Tainan County was merged with Tainan City at the end of 2010 to form a single special municipality....
/Tainan City (now merged as Tainan), Kaohsiung County
Kaohsiung County
Kaohsiung County was a county in southern Taiwan that enclosed but did not include Kaohsiung City. On December 25, 2010, the county merged with Kaohsiung City to form a single special municipality.- Administration :-External links:*...
/Kaohsiung City (now merged as Kaohsiung), and Pingtung County
Pingtung County
Pingtung County is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of the Republic of China . The oldest national park in Taiwan, Kenting National Park, was established in Pingtung County in 1984...
) and parts of Taitung County
Taitung County
Taitung County is a county in eastern Taiwan. The name means "Eastern Taiwan". Taitung County is also known as 後山 by many of the locals, meaning behind the mountains or the back mountains. Taitung is officially administered as a county of Taiwan, Republic of China.Taitung runs along the south east...
and Nantou County
Nantou County
Nantou County is the second largest county of Taiwan. It is also the only landlocked county in Taiwan. Its name derives from the Hoanya Taiwanese aboriginal word Ramtau. Nantou County is officially administered as a county of Taiwan....
were flooded by record-breaking heavy rain. The rainfall in Pingtung County
Pingtung County
Pingtung County is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of the Republic of China . The oldest national park in Taiwan, Kenting National Park, was established in Pingtung County in 1984...
exceeded 2600 millimetres (102.4 in), breaking all rainfall records of any single place in Taiwan induced by a single typhoon. Airlines in Taiwan did hold some flights in and out of airports, but seaports were closed. Electricity supplies were cut to approximately 25,000 homes.
Reports indicated that at least 600 people were missing throughout southern Taiwan. Most were residents of Xiaolin
Xiaolin, Taiwan
Xiaolin is a village in Taiwan in the rural township of Jiaxian, Kaohsiung County . It is in a largely agricultural area and was destroyed by a mudslide during Typhoon Morakot in 2009.-Typhoon Morakot:...
(小林村), a mountain village with 1,300 residents in Jiaxian Township
Jiaxian, Kaohsiung
Jiaxian is a rural district in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Located far from the coast, the township is regarded as a gateway to Taiwan's Central Mountain Range....
. The village was buried by a massive mudslide that destroyed most of the town. It is estimated that 118 people died in the village due to the mudslide, which reports indicated covered all but two houses. It was reported that all roads toward Namaxia Township were either blocked or washed away by severe mudslides. Hundreds of residents were trapped for four days, and were running out of food and water. In addition, water and electricity had been cut. A rescue helicopter, working to retrieve survivors of the mudslide crashed into a mountain side early on August 11, killing the three occupants. Crews were unable to reach the wreckage due to the steep terrain.
| Duration (hours) |
Storm name and year |
World record prior to Morakot |
Morakot total |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mm | in | mm | in | ref | ||
| 24 | Denise (1966) | 1825 | 71.8 | 1623.5 | 63.9 | |
| 48 | Unnamed (1958) | 2467 | 97.1 | 2361 | 93.0 | |
| 72 | Gamede Cyclone Gamede Cyclone Gamede was among the wettest tropical cyclones on record, dropping more than 5.5 m of rain in a nine-day period on Réunion island in the southwest Indian Ocean. The seventh named storm of the 2006-07 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season, Gamede formed on February 20 as a tropical... (2007) |
3929 | 154.6 | 2748 | 108.2 | |
| 96 | Gamede (2007) | 4869 | 191.7 | |||
| Total | Hyacinthe (1980) | 5678 | 223.5 | 2884 | 113.5 | |
A swollen river in Taitung County undermined 51 homes and swept them away into the Pacific, leaving numerous residents homeless. No people were in the homes when they fell into the river. In the famous Zhiben
Jhiben Hot Spring
The Jhiben Hot Spring is a hot spring in Beinan, Taitung County, Taiwan. It is one of the most famous Taiwanese hot springs. In its literature the local Taitung tourism authorities spell the name of the area Chr ben- History :...
(知本) hot springs area, the six-story Jinshuai Hotel was destroyed when it collapsed into the Zhiben River after being undermined by flood waters. Several stores in front of the hotel were washed away days earlier as the river continued to overflow its banks and inundate nearby towns and cities. Running water in Tainan County to 280,000 was shut down as flood waters contaminated the local reservoir.
Throughout Taiwan, at least 107 people were confirmed to have been killed by the storm as of August 13. The record-breaking rains also caused catastrophic agricultural losses, with estimates reaching NT$9 billion ($274 million USD). At its peak, roughly 1.58 million were without power across the island and over 710,000 were without water pressure. Tourism losses due to the typhoon were estimated to be at least NT$800 million ($24.4 million USD).
However, Morakot also ended a month-long drought and replenished reservoirs enough to warrant an end to water rationing.
The "Little Three Links
Three Links
The Three Links or Three Linkages was a "message of Compatriots in Taiwan" calling for the unification of mainland China and Taiwan. It was sent by the PRC National People's Congress in 1979....
" between Kinmen
Kinmen
Kinmen , also known as Quemoy , is a small archipelago of several islands administered by the Republic of China : Greater Kinmen, Lesser Kinmen, and some islets. Administratively, it is Kinmen County of Fujian Province, ROC. The county is claimed by the People's Republic of China as part of its...
of the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
and Xiamen
Xiamen
Xiamen , also known as Amoy , is a major city on the southeast coast of the People's Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province with an area of and population of 3.53 million...
of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
was suspended. Almost all reservoirs in Kinmen County were full. Winds at Force 13 on the Beaufort scale
Beaufort scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
were recorded in the Matsu Islands
Matsu Islands
The Matsu Islands are a minor archipelago of 19 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait administered as Lienchiang County , Fujian Province of the Republic of China . Only a small area of what is historically Lienchiang County is under the control of the ROC...
.
National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission is the task-force-grouped committee authorized by the law of Disaster Prevention and Protection.
Mainland China
During a four day span, Morakot produced up to 1240 mm (48.8 in) of rain in ZhejiangZhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
province, the highest total in nearly 60 years in the province. A landslide in Pengxi, at the foot of a mountain, destroyed a three-story apartment building, with six people inside. All six were recovered from the rubble of the structure. However, two later died of their injuries. In Wenzhou
Wenzhou
Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. The area under its jurisdiction, which includes two satellite cities and six counties, had a population of 9,122,100 as of 2010....
, a large landslide destroyed six apartment buildings, burying an unknown number of people, some of whom were feared dead. One person was killed after torrential rains caused the house he was in to collapse, as well as four other nearby homes.
In Xiapu county, the location of Morakot's landfall in China, 136,000 people reported damage to their homes from flooding or landslides. The fishing sector of the local industry sustained roughly 200 million yuan ($29 million USD) in losses. Fourteen townships in the county were flooded. An estimated 3.4 million people reported property damage throughout Zhejiang province, with at least 1,600 homes being destroyed. At least 10,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm and over 1 million acres (4,046.9 km²) of farmland was inundated by flooding. In China Damages from the storm amounted to $1.4 billion. Over 11 million people were affected by Typhoon Morakot throughout eastern China.
Oil deliveries
The typhoon has resulted in some identifiable but limited impact on oil deliveries to East Asian destinations. At least two fuel oil cargoes in East China were delayed due to typhoon Morakot. This included 90,000-mt Venezuelan fuel oil cargo with Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province. There was a report that an 18,000-mt cargo of Singapore-origin with fuel oil on board for Aug 10 delivery into Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu Province was postponed to arrive on Aug 15.Many ports in East China were closed from Aug 8, including Waigaoqiao, Jinshan and Yangshan ports in Shanghai, Zhoushan and Ningbo ports in Zhejiang, Zhangjiagang, Nantong and Jiangyin ports in Jiangsu.
Taiwan
After the typhoon, search-and-rescue teams were eventually deployed throughout Taiwan in response to numerous landslides and flash flooding. Helicopters were rushed to Xiaolin to retrieve as many residents as possible and transport them to shelters. By August 11, nearly 300 residents were confirmed to have been moved to safety. During the afternoon, one helicopter crashed into a mountainside while carrying three crew members. All three crew members died. Continuing standards set up after the 921 earthquake921 earthquake
The 921 earthquake , also known as Jiji earthquake , was a 7.3 Ms or 7.6 Mw earthquake which occurred at 1:47:12 am local time in Jiji , Nantou County, Taiwan. 2,415 people were killed, 11,305 injured, and NT$300 billion worth of damage was done...
, the Government of Taiwan provided NT$1 million for each family member killed or missing and NT$250,000 for the critically injured. Due to the severity of the damage in Xiaolin access to the area was restricted to military personnel only. Military rescue personnel have recovered 700 villagers alive in three villages on Tuesday night, and another 26 were evacuated by helicopter Wednesday morning. Major-General Richard Hu said it is still too early to state how many villagers had been buried, military rescuers just know that 90% of the homes of the three villages were buried by the landslide.
President Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
and his administration have been criticised because of the slow response to Typhoon Morakot. The government was initially found to have rejected foreign aid, then to have quickly reversed that decision in response to criticism, citing that the rejection was only temporary. Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia has tendered his resignation for authorizing Taiwan's diplomats to turn down foreign aid, a decision done without the consent of more senior officials.
After the storm passed across central and southern Taiwan towards the east coast of China, the true extent of the damage caused by flooding and mudslides slowly came to be known.
Immediately after the typhoon, large civilian and military search-and-rescue operations were deployed. Helicopters were sent to numerous mountain villages, including Xiaolin, in an attempt to rescue locals who were unable to escape by foot. It was discovered that almost 400 people had vanished, and are presumed to have been buried alive when a massive mudslide wiped out 90 per cent of the village's homes. Similar stories have been reported from other small villages in the vicinity of this region.
Rescue operations continue, with foreign aid coming in from the United States, Australia, Israel and several other European and Asian countries.
Throughout Taiwan, at least 461 people were confirmed to have been killed by the storm as of August 25, with 192 people missing and 46 injured. The record-breaking rains also caused catastrophic agricultural losses, with estimates reaching NT$14.59 billion (US$443 million).
Philippines
The World VisionWorld Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
organization reports having distributed roughly 40 gallons of water to 800 people. The National Disaster Coordinating Council declared a state of calamity for the Zambales region as over 13,000 people were left homeless.
Retirement
Due to the extensive damage and deaths caused by the storm, the name "Morakot" was later retired. The committee selected the name "Atsani" to replace "Morakot" on the Western Pacific basin name lists beginning in 2011.See also
- 2009 Pacific typhoon season2009 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 2009 Pacific typhoon season was the period that tropical cyclones formed in the Western Pacific Ocean. The season ran throughout the year during 2009, with most tropical cyclones forming between May and November. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator...
- Timeline of the 2009 Pacific typhoon seasonTimeline of the 2009 Pacific typhoon seasonThis timeline documents all of the events of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season which was the period that tropical cyclones formed in the Western Pacific Ocean during 2009, with most of the tropical cyclones forming between May and November. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean,...
- Tropical cycloneTropical cycloneA tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
(Pacific typhoonPacific typhoonA typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean between 180° and 100°E. This region is referred to as the northwest Pacific basin. For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern , central , and...
) - Natural disasterNatural disasterA natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...