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Erik De Castro / Reuters
Rescuers carry body bags containing bodies of typhoon victims recovered from the debris swept by floodwaters at the height of Typhoon Bopha, in New Bataan town, Compostela Valley, southern Philippines Dec. 7.
Bullit Marquez / AP
A survivor of Tuesday's devastating typhoon is carried into a makeshift clinic after being rescued Thursday, Dec. 6, in New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines.
Bullit Marquez / AP
Residents line up for relief supplies at an evacuation center Thursday, Dec. 6, in New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines.
Bullit Marquez / AP
Relatives cross a river to bury their loved one, who died in a flash flood caused by Typhoon Bopha, Thursday, Dec. 6, in New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines.
Bullit Marquez / AP
A flash flood survivor uses a classroom as temporary shelter after Typhoon Bopha destroyed most of the houses in the area, Thursday, Dec. 6, in New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines.
Typhoon Bopha is weakening but the damage in the Philippines is mounting. The death toll has reached 420 and hundreds remain missing. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
AP reports: Rescuers were digging through mud and debris Friday to retrieve more bodies strewn across a farming valley in the southern Philippines by a powerful typhoon. The death toll from the storm has surpassed 500, with more than 400 people missing.
More than 310,000 people have lost their homes since Typhoon Bopha struck Tuesday and are crowded inside evacuation centers or staying with their relatives, relying on food and emergency supplies being rushed in by government agencies and aid groups. Full story.
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Leave a Comment:
I can't believe that some are trying to attach climate change as a factor in this. Let's compare the top ten deadliest in this NBC story to the death toll of this recent typhoon in the Philippines.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24488385/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/deadliest-storms-history/#.UMIN1qwSEz7
The newest (most recent) of the top ten was in 1991 and that only ranked as number 9.
There is the 1970 Bangladesh storm as #1 but that is only because of the high end of the estimate. If you take the low end of the estimate it would rank near the bottom of the list.
350,000 in 1737, 300,000 in 1881, 300,000 in 1839.
Now I'm not saying that 500 deaths in 2012 is trivial. But storms 173 to 275 years ago were 700 times worse. And even if the death toll reaches 1000 these much older storms are still 350 times worse.
Obviously man and his CO2 output had no bearing on a storm in 1737. And since a storm in 2012 leaves 350 times fewer deaths it doesn't seem that man and his CO2 has anything to do with this one either.
What data does show is that tropical cyclone numbers have dropped. And tropical cyclone energy levels have dropped also.
http://policlimate.com/tropical/global_major_freq.png
http://policlimate.com/tropical/global_running_ace.png
http://policlimate.com/tropical/frequency_12months.png
http://policlimate.com/tropical/global_running_pdi.png
http://policlimate.com/tropical/index.html
Al Gore said we would have more and stronger storms after Katrina. It isn't happening.
Why is the world so full of idiots who have to politicize every tragic event. My condolences go to the people of the Philippines and all the victims of natural disasters.
And by the way, ECONOMYKILER, one of the side effects of global warming due to man's destructive activity on this planet including reproduction is fewer and more intense storms.
How sad so many have died thus far. It is about a year ago the Washi typhoon occurred in December, killing over 1,200 people. Even with the advanced warning given before this one hit, given the coastal areas and mountain areas prone to flash floods, land slides, there was no way to prevent some deaths. We are so fortunate to have modern warnings, preventing the huge loss of life from previous generations. It is still tragic some life is lost.
At times it must seem overwhelming to those people. That no matter how hard they try, nothing can stop the death and destruction which happens all about them. When the sea comes crashing in, the fierce winds blow and all around them the dark forces seem hell bent on destroying everything.
When everything has been thrown at them, we see people come together and help each other out.So often that is when folks seem to shine their best, even when nature has done her worst. Perhaps that is what helps everyone get through. For others their faith can be a source to sustain them as well, as was noted after Washi struck. I pray those who are suffering now with this latest typhoon will get all the help they need as soon as possible. And those who lost loved ones may be comforted in their time of sorrows.