Tropical Storm Wipha: Philippines devastated, Vietnam on alert!

Tropical Storm Wipha: Philippines devastated, Vietnam on alert!

Tropical storm “Wipha” hit the Philippines with full force. Strong winds and heavy rain resulted in at least six people losing their lives. Around a million people in more than 40 provinces are struggling with the consequences of the storm, which flooded parts of the capital Manila. The floods sometimes even reached the roofs of buildings, and many of those affected are currently having to wade through chest-high water. It's hard to believe that there are now more than 80,000 homeless people who are housed in evacuation centers.

A week ago, the first foothills of “Wipha”, also known as “Crising”, brought rainfall that intensified the current monsoon. The Philippines is affected by around 20 strong storms every year. Last year, several aggressive storms, including “Trami” and “Kong-rey,” killed over 160 people. How Antenna Unna According to reports, “Wipha” later hit China and Hong Kong as a typhoon, which led to significant disruptions in public life.

Dangers in Vietnam and China

At the weekend, flights for tens of thousands of passengers had to be canceled due to the storm and its effects in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong authorities are even warning of stormy or higher winds and possible flooding in low-lying coastal areas. The storm's maximum wind speed was 101 km/h with gusts up to 126 km/h as it passed south of Taiwan on Saturday. The weather also affected a 30-kilometer-long bridge between Hong Kong and Macau, which was closed overnight. More than 20 cm of rain fell in Hualien and Taitung counties on Taiwan's east coast, as CBS News reported.

“Wipha” is now heading towards Vietnam and could hit the mainland in the afternoon (local time). Authorities have already taken action and are warning of severe flooding and flash floods. Hundreds of thousands of emergency services were mobilized to assist the affected people. Two smaller airports in northern Vietnam were also closed for security reasons.

Weather extremes and climate change

These recent events shine a bright light on the increase in extreme weather events worldwide, which are seen in part as a result of climate change. Climate change is having devastating consequences by allowing periods of weather to stay in one place for longer, causing more extreme weather events. Loud Augsburger Allgemeine the likelihood of such extreme weather events occurring has increased; Every year more people are affected by extreme phenomena such as floods and storms.

With each new storm, the urgency to act on climate change becomes clearer. Extreme weather could become commonplace by 2050 if we don't act quickly. The world is now watching developments in the region and the response of relevant authorities as people in the affected areas fight for their lives.