Tropical Storm Case Studies

This lesson examines three contrasting tropical storm events — Typhoon Haiyan (2013), Hurricane Katrina (2005), and Cyclone Nargis (2008) — to illustrate how physical intensity, level of development, governance, and preparedness interact to determine outcomes.

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Typhoon Haiyan, Philippines (November 2013)

Context

• Category 5 super typhoon; sustained winds of 315 km/h (one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded)
• Made landfall on 8 November 2013 in the Eastern Visayas region
• The Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons per year — one of the most typhoon-exposed countries on Earth
• Lower-middle-income country (GDP per capita ~$2,800 in 2013)

Impacts

Category	Details
Deaths	6,300 confirmed; over 1,000 still missing
Displaced	~4.1 million people
Storm surge	Up to 7 m in Tacloban City — the primary cause of death; many residents had never experienced a surge of this magnitude
Infrastructure	~1.1 million homes destroyed or damaged; 33 million coconut palms destroyed (devastating for the copra industry); Tacloban airport severely damaged
Economic	~$12.9 billion in damage
Livelihoods	Fishing communities lost boats and equipment; agricultural land contaminated by saltwater

Response

• Warnings were issued but many people did not understand the term 'storm surge' — communication failures proved fatal
• The Philippine government pre-positioned supplies and ordered evacuations, but local infrastructure was inadequate for the scale of the event
• International response: over $1.2 billion in humanitarian aid; US military deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington; UK sent HMS Illustrious
• Build Back Better: new building standards introduced; mangrove replanting to reduce surge impact; disaster risk reduction integrated into school curricula

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Hurricane Katrina, USA (August 2005)

Context

• Category 3 at landfall (had been Category 5 over the Gulf of Mexico); sustained winds of 205 km/h
• Made landfall on 29 August 2005 near Buras, Louisiana
• New Orleans — a city with ~480,000 people, much of it below sea level, protected by levees
• The wealthiest country in the world — yet the response exposed deep inequalities

Impacts

Category	Details
Deaths	1,836
Displaced	Over 1 million people; ~400,000 from New Orleans alone
Flooding	Levee failures (not the storm surge alone) caused 80% of New Orleans to flood; water up to 6 m deep in some areas
Infrastructure	Oil platforms damaged; Superdome used as shelter (chaotic conditions); roads, bridges, hospitals destroyed
Economic	$161 billion in damage — the costliest natural disaster in US history at the time
Social	Disproportionate impact on African American and low-income communities in the Lower Ninth Ward; elderly and disabled were most vulnerable

Response Failures