Statistical Analysis of Building Damage from the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan and its Storm Surge in the Philippines

Abstract

In November 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the Philippines. It caused heavy loss of lives and extensive damages to buildings and infrastructure. When collapsed buildings are focused on, it is interesting to find that these buildings did not collapse for the same reasons after the landfall of the typhoon and storm surge. The objective of this study is to develop a statistical model for building damage due to Super Typhoon Haiyan and its storm surge. The data were collected in collaboration with Tanauan Municipality, the Philippines. The data for the inundation map were obtained by field surveys conducted on-site to determine the cause of the damages inferred from satellite data. The maximum wind speed was derived from the Holland parametric hurricane model based on the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) typhoon track data and the inundation depth of storm surge was calculated using the MIKE model. Multinomial logistic regression was used to develop a model to identify the significant factors influencing the damage to buildings. The result of this work is expected to be used to prepare urban plans for preventing damage from future storms.

Amplification of typhoon-generated near-inertial internal waves observed near the Tsushima oceanic front in the Sea of Japan

“…In summer and fall, massively developed tropical cyclones, aka typhoons, occasionally pass over the sea and result in an excess of momentum and kinetic energy into the surface water [1][2][3] . In south-east and east Asian countries, the typhoon events physically damage buildings and infrastructures by gusty winds and/or storm surges if they land on the ground or approach the shore regions 4 . However, it is not well known how kinetic energy of typhoons can be spatially transferred and distributed through the ocean interior as it goes across the sea.…”