Storm surge: Death, destruction, displacement

Storm surge or storm tide occurs when the wind that swirls around a storm pushes water toward the shore. When the surge combines with normal tides and creates a hurricane, mean water level rises 15 feet or more. The rise in water level due to the combined force of storm surge and normal tides could cause severe flooding in coastal regions. The Bay of Bengal area, which forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, is touted as the storm surge capital of the world. At least 142 moderate to severe storm surges occurred in the bay from 1582 to 1991. Some of the surges recorded from the bay were more than 26 feet, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, mostly from Bangladesh. Surges in the US Meanwhile, in the US, nine out of 10 people who die in hurricanes have been killed by storm surges. Storm surges pose tremendous danger especially in the densely populated Atlantic and Gulf Coast coastlines in the US that lie less than 10 feet above mean sea level. The Galveston Hurricane of 1990 that struck Texas is believed to be the deadliest natural disaster that hit the US. The category 4 hurricane drove a deadly storm surge ashore that claimed 6,000 to 12,000 lives. Next to Galveston was the storm surge from Okeechobee Hurricane that struck the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Florida in 1928. This category 5 hurricane killed 4,078 people. The 2005 “Katrina" was also among the deadliest hurricanes in the US, which produced storm surges of up to 25 feet and devastated areas across Mississippi and Alabama. “Katrina" disaster killed at least 1,836 In 2006, Dr Stephen P. Leatherman, director of the International Hurricane Research Center at the Florida University in Miami, identified 10 areas in the US most vulnerable to hurricanes. These were the following: New Orleans in Louisiana, Lake Okeechobee in Florida, Florida Keys, Coastal, Mississippi, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale in Florida, Galveston/Houston in Texas, Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, Eastern Long Island in New York, Wilmington in North Carolina and Tampa/St. Petersburg in Florida Highest storm surge Based on historical accounts, the world's highest storm surge was produced by the 1899 Cyclone Mahina that reached 43 feet at Bathurst Bay in Australia. In terms of the number of fatalities, the worst storm surge was recorded during the Bhola cyclone that whipped Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) in 1970. The cyclone killed around 500,000 people due to the powerful surge that flooded much of the low-lying areas within the Ganges Delta. Surges in the Philippines Coastal villages in the Philippines are also vulnerable to storm surges, although no casualty as serious as those experienced in the Bengal Bay area and the US have been recorded so far. Last Tuesday, November 27, a storm surge with 10-foot-high waves slammed into 16 towns in the province of Misamis Oriental, inundating 53 barangays (villages) and forcing 1,160 families to flee their homes. Also, residents in several coastal villages in Iligan City fled their homes after storm surges destroyed their homes also last Tuesday. Local radio reports said the villages of Dalipuga, Sta Filomena, Tibanga, Saray, Poblacion, Tambakan and Tomas Cabili were affected by the unusually high waves, forcing the evacuation of residents from these areas. Some 500 families were affected by the high waves, although no casualties were reported. Local resident Pepeto Montaner said the waves that hit the villages reached 10 feet high and lasted from 9 p.m. Tuesday until 1 a.m. Wednesday. Also on the same day, hundreds of families in coastal areas in Mindanao and Northern Luzon were evacuated after big waves hit their homes. Waves in the south In its report, the National Disaster Coordinating Coordinating said several coastal villages in the southern Philippine provinces of Sulu, Zamboanga, and Misamis Oriental and several others in the northern provinces of Pangasinan, and La Union were simultaneously hit by huge waves. In Zamboanga City, 350 families were displaced after some 100 houses were totally damaged by huge waves. The affected families were brought to three evacuation centers in the city. In Misamis Oriental, some 100 families from Lugait town were evacuated to higher ground 9 p.m. Tuesday after huge waves destroyed 50 homes and several fishing boats in their area. Residents of Initiao town was also affected by the waves, NDCC noted. In Jolo, Sulu, families from Busbus, Tako-Takot and Tulay villages were evacuated to the town hall also due to big waves. In Luzon, 396 families or 1,362 residents in several villages in La Union and Pangasinan were also affected by the waves. Particularly, 157 families or 725 people from Dagupan City, Lingayen, San Fabian, and Binmaley towns in Pangasinan were displaced by the surges. La Union, 239 families or 637 residents in San Fernando City, Agoo, Aringay, and Bauang towns were also affected. The said surges occurred amid storm “Lando." The affected towns were Balingasag, Lagonglong, Villanueva, Tagoloan, Balingoan, Sugbongcogon, Lugait, Initao, Salay, Jasaan, Libertad, Manticao, Kinoguitan, Naawan, Binuangan, and Magsaysay. 33 houses destroyed In October 2007, storm surges reportedly hit the towns of Mamburao, Sablayan, and Sta. Cruz in the province of Occidental, Mindoro, where 33 houses were destroyed due to heavy flooding. Also, in the same month, Coastal areas in Davao City, Cavite, and Batangas were also whipped by storm surges according to reports. Some 200 families from the coastal villages of San Luis, Batangas fled their homes during the surge. Also, 400 families from the coastal villages of Wawa I, Wawa II, and Wawa III in Cavite were evacuated. The said surges were believed triggered by storms “Hanna" and “Ineng." In May 2006, it was reported that hundreds of people in the towns of Bacnotan, Bauang, and Caba in San Fernando, La Union fled their homes due to a storm surge, which drowned a nine-year-old boy. - Annie Ruth C. Sabangan, GMANews.TV