Super Typhoon Hagupit (Tropical Cyclone 22W) on a course to hit Central Philippines!

Tropical Cyclone 22W (Hagupit) is on a course to hit the central islands of the Philipines by the weekend. The storm is currently classified as a Category 4 “super typhoon” but is forecast to weaken to a Category 2 by the time it reaches the Philippines according to a Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) report.

typhoon_hagupit_philippines

[See full US Naval Observatory weather update graphic as of 1953H 02 Dec 2014 here.]

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The Pacific Disaster Center reports

Typhoon 22W is expected to intensify further as it moves across the western Pacific…into the Philippine Sea. The JTWC expects this system to peak near 130 knots (150 mph)…with gusts of 160 knots (184 mph) within 72 hours.

This system will remain south of Guam and Yap, and then move close to Palau as a a strong typhoon within 48 hours. The extended JTWC forecast suggest that this strong typhoon may briefly reach the super typhoon level…as it moves towards the Philippine Islands.

While it is unlikely that Hagupit will be as powerful as Super Typhoon Haiyan which devastated the Philippines in late 2013, residents in the threatened areas are still vulnerable due to the decrepit infrastructure there and the inadequate disaster response facilities at the disposal of the Philippine government. In the aftermath of Haiyan, observers led by CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper criticised the Philippine government for its appallingly disorganised efforts and lack of credible leadership on the ground during the short critical window when thousands of lives could have been saved.

The JTWC warns, however, that their long-range forecasts carry a high degree of uncertainty which means that the intensity and trajectory forecasts could change over the next several days.

24 Replies to “Super Typhoon Hagupit (Tropical Cyclone 22W) on a course to hit Central Philippines!”

  1. Well, it starts all over again, just like the Category 5 Typhoon Haiyan last year. It will be another classic statistical example of the country’s ineffectiveness in disaster response.

  2. The Gov’t. has stolen everything that could have been utilized for the sake of saving people’s lives before during and after any disaster.
    The FAIL-ippines is all to ready to serve as the USA water-boy in S.E.Asia. In return for getting help from the USA for its unfortunate citizens when disaster strikes.It is just the most pathetic National Strategy that has ever existed, and is not going to change due to the USA’s interests in S.E.Asia being anchored in the Fail-ippines.

    It is just a vicious cycle that has those involved in a never-ending downward spiral.

  3. Indeed, here we go again *and I said that using Mike Goldberg’s voice from the UFC*. Typhoons come and go, relief goods come but they fail to go to the intended people.

    There was this one time where there are relief goods that were repacked and resold as part of a ‘clearance sale’ or ‘garage sale’ claiming it came from the U.S. I saw one package that had U.S. Ration written on it…like when was the last time I saw U.S. Ration being sold in a local supermarket? Like..um..never.

    I wish I could have taken a picture for evidence that there are people who have the audacity to do such dastardly things towards their fellowmen and these people are the first ones to cower and duck for cover should they get into trouble. Typhoon Hagupit brings forth Aftermath Incompetence which creates National Depression of the Tropical Banana Republic. Well, we still got a few more days to prepare before it hits if it does hit as predicted.

  4. The local government units were again advised by the national government to prepare for Typhoon before it’ll hit their areas so “you can’t say I didn’t warn you”. Early evacuation is now being practiced and this time the Phil. government expect zero casualty since, according to Lacierda, this time around, “I think we are going to be prepared for this typhoon.” But really, I think it’ll do us more good if we pray to the One up there to weaken the typhoon before it hit us.

    1. I don’t see anything wrong with praying but prayers and prevention efforts go hand-in-hand. You just don’t pray and do nothing about it, that is what’s wrong with most people in here. No matter how many or how strong the prayers were, it didn’t stop Yolanda from wreaking havoc last year and certainly it won’t stop Hagupit either. Nobody wants a freaking typhoon right now, not when the Holidays are coming soon but nobody can stop this typhoon either I do think nature will decide it’s running course.

      All we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best in this case. They say prevention is better than cure, if anyone lives in those areas that will be hit hard by this typhoon, the best way to self-preservation would be to get the hell out of there as early as now, don’t wait when the winds pickup speed and strength to decide if you leave or not. By that time it will be whether you live or not, I hope people have learned their lesson not to make anymore excuses if ever they had one last year when Yolanda hit.

      1. Yup. It’s better if your action is your prayer. But still to some, they pray for something they cannot change or they have no control of. Like you said, you can’t really be sure what’s going to hit you and it what way when it arrived. Like when everybody expected Haiyan, the tsunami-like rise of water caused by the storm is not known to be part of it. And if, for example, Typhoon Yolanda hit Japan or America instead, would it really mean zero casualties and minimal damaged properties? The Tsunami and Hurricane Sandy proved otherwise. And these are countries with specialties in disaster preparation. There are just some things that are beyond our power. So if for some divine intervention this destructive thing weaken or take another route, perhaps dissipated like the “giant storm that rocks North Atlantic”, wouldn’t it give us more time and chance to be prepared since, for sure, we’re really not at this point? That’s the kind of mercy we pray for, not for ourselves who are well and far from storm but for those who’ve gone through it and haven’t even gotten to their feet but have to experience it again. But who knows, God maybe thinking “Let’s see if you’ve really learned from Yolanda.”

  5. “Hagupit” has just been upgraded to supertyphoon status.

    https://www.facebook.com/ANCalerts/posts/10152632304748791

    Now based on the comments of that link so far, I really don’t think the majority of Filipinos are prepared for another potential calamity headed their way.

    Now, I understand that many Filipinos are religious and prayer is essential for them, but I think that for many of them to expect a miracle while not preparing for the worst is both irreligious and irresponsible.

    Inasmuch as I may sound jaded and mean, I hope that when the worst does happen to them, they don’t blame God; they should blame themselves.

    1. The appeal to miracles is even worse here:

      https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS/posts/10152606692735168

      EXAMPLES:

      — “Mag pray po tau lahat huwag na mag isip ng kung anu prayer prayer….all God blessed us….” (Trans.: “Let’s all pray and not think of anything else.”)

      — “Lord in Jesus name…I command ruby to dissipate. ..amen”

      — “Ang diyos ang makapangyarihan sa sa kaoya tayo magtiwala di tayo pababayaan ililihis niya bagyo sa china papupuntahin” (Trans. “God is powerful, let us trust in him, he won’t abandon us, he’ll direct the storm to China.”)

      — “Instead of getting confused with its direction, why don’t we just #Pray4PH ? Share it on facebook, twitter and instagram.”

      1. (Sorry, I just had to add more from that link. This is evidence that a lot of Pinoys would rather wallow in gossip, misinformation, speculation and blind faith [as opposed to responsible faith], to ride out a supertyphoon. The Pinoy Mentality is alive and well.)

        — “Haarp they want to destroy phils. Lord save my country/kbbayans”

        — “Ruby please stop this typhoon”

        — “Pray is the best weapons to all tragedy and calamity that happening in our country amen”

        — “Huwag naman po sana lord please ilayo nyo ang pilipinas sa kapahamakan specially to my province jesus christ..”

        — “Kulang sa Dasal kaya …lumihis ang bagyo……”

        — ” Paano na ngayon yan? Pasadiyos na lang ulit”

        — “Lord sana un mga magnanakaw sa goberno ang parusahan ni bagyong hagupit para matoto cla….lalo na c polis ay mali napolis pala….”

        — “Sino ba yong nagcomment kanina na hindi naman daw pala ruby ang name ng bagyo kundi violent? Description lang po yan ng bagyong ruby.”

      2. Back in 2009, I wrote about how the Inquirer featured a call for a prayer known as an “Oratia Imperata” against Super Typhoons.

        From what I glean from the Google results I skimmed, most “mandated prayers” aim to seek divine intervention (or at the very least graces) to strengthen the lot of “the faithful” as they face what are considered to be insurmountable earthly challenges such as war, disease, pestilence, and natural disasters. I specifically found calls for oratio imperata to beseech deliverance from the swine flu epidemic and for good weather.

        Lol!

        Let us pray…

        1. How convenient for the CBCP to pull out this “mandated prayer” like a genie whenever a potential disaster approaches. Not even the Vatican orders it as frequently as us.

          What’s more embarrassing is that Googling “Vatican Oratio Imperata” results in almost all the searches to be PH websites for the first three pages. None of the results point to the Vatican website itself.

    2. The CBCP must agree with this^.

      Prayer is actually a positive attitude in that you put your trust in God but trusting God also means trusting His plans. So say, the arrival of typhoon and whatever the turn of it’s arrival could be His plan since no mortal hold a power over that (scientifically, it is but a natural phenomenon). How a person accepts and deals with that plan is up to him. So we could only hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Somehow Filipinos forgot the “prepare for the worst” department because part of their belief is that God won’t allow something bad or worst to happen, God won’t let His children suffer or die from disasters thus he would make it stop or divert it into something else. If that’s the case, then Yolanda and all past calamities and disasters would’ve not happened. There won’t be any other deaths either.

      Not preparing for the worst could result to a repeat of what happened before and because he did not learn from those past disasters, his misguided faith grow more and more dependent on an image of a God who makes things happen base on what he hope God would do or who’ll cover his own misgivings. At this case, this Christian or Catholic or faithful became desensitize with the problems he should be working on personally. He is returning to God that task God first asked or designed for him to do.

      That’s why in the Bible we are told “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17 NIV)

  6. Dumale na naman at nagyabang ang Ampaw na Panggulo na Zero casualty daw. Sa ganyang kalakas na bagyo kahit first world country ay hindi maiwasang magkaroon ng casualty. Hetong Failipinas na sa gutom nga at pangkaraniwang baha ay may namamatay diyan pa kaya sa Super Typhoon. Puro ka kayabangan Abnoy sana lumubog na ang Palasyo na kasama ka.

    1. Zero casualty rate is achievable. However I have doubts that as the whole country can achieve this since the LGUs have more say than the national government. Not all LGUs are equally efficient in zero casualty like Albay province. Tacloban is a proof of this where you have ineffective LGUs in natural calamities.

    2. Imposibleng mangyari ang hinihiling mo. Sa sobrang dami ng hangin sa loob ng bumbunan ng panot, baka nga kaya pa niyang palutangin ang palasyo sa baha (kung isasalaksak siya sa pundasyon).

  7. 28 years ago we ousted a dictator president and we got lured into believing that a peaceful revolutionary process to change government is the last option we have to save our country with the promise of democracy, of course. Some yellow supporters even went out of their way through their revolutionary outcries “we don’t need food to eat in our tables, we need democracy!” So, here are now…welcome to our democracy!

    1. People shouldn’t rely on the government for food in their table. Even in mainland China, people rely on themselves, their productivy for the food on their table. That’s how market economy works.

      North Korea may be example of the closest thing you got to the style of governance you want aka command and control economy wherein the government has control on the food on your table. Tambays and lazy people love that kind of governance, because you get to have food even if you are idle and/or unproductive.

  8. It’s also very likely that da Pinoyland’s gonna beg again for alms— err, donations, to the the rest of the world once the Ruby-inflicted damages start to add up.

  9. Pls search in Internet about ‘STRANGE SOUNDS’
    all over the world during December. You all will be surprise that again ‘STRANGE SOUNDS’ occured in Australia, USA and Europe without knowing where the sound from? Then same time a disaster like Typhoon will follow after few days. Haiyan was similar case, also the previous devil typhoon. I believe more that nothing to do with GOD, but technical Typhoon.

    1. MidwayHaven says:
      December 4, 2014 at 6:00 pm

      (Sorry, I just had to add more from that link. This is evidence that a lot of Pinoys would rather wallow in gossip, misinformation, speculation and blind faith [as opposed to responsible faith], to ride out a supertyphoon. The Pinoy Mentality is alive and well.)

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