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Typhoon Rai, Known in The Philippines As Typhoon Odette, Was A Catastrophic and

Typhoon Rai, known as Typhoon Odette in the Philippines, was a powerful Category 5 super typhoon that struck the Philippines in December 2021. It caused widespread damage through heavy rainfall, strong winds, flooding, and power outages. Critical infrastructure was damaged and at least 375 people were killed, with damages estimated at billions of dollars. Rai was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines at that time of year since 2016.

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143 views1 page

Typhoon Rai, Known in The Philippines As Typhoon Odette, Was A Catastrophic and

Typhoon Rai, known as Typhoon Odette in the Philippines, was a powerful Category 5 super typhoon that struck the Philippines in December 2021. It caused widespread damage through heavy rainfall, strong winds, flooding, and power outages. Critical infrastructure was damaged and at least 375 people were killed, with damages estimated at billions of dollars. Rai was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines at that time of year since 2016.

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mendez
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Typhoon Rai, known in the Philippines as 

Typhoon Odette, was a catastrophic and


powerful tropical cyclone that struck the Philippines. Rai became the first Category 5-equivalent
super typhoon to develop in the month of December since Nock-ten in 2016, and the third Category
5 super typhoon recorded in the South China Sea,
following Pamela in 1954 and Rammasun in 2014. The twenty-second tropical storm, the
ninth typhoon, and the fifth super typhoon of the 2021 Pacific typhoon season, the system originated
from a tropical disturbance near the equator on December 10, forming near the site of another low-
pressure area that had dissipated on the previous day. Conditions around the system were favorable
for further development, and it slowly developed into a tropical depression on December 12. On the
same day, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)[nb 1] issued a Tropical Cyclone
Formation Alert (TCFA) on the consolidating depression. Further intensification ensued, and Rai was
upgraded to a tropical storm on the next day, before passing south of Ngulu Atoll. After passing
near Palau and impacting the island nation, Rai entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)
by the night of December 14, where the PAGASA named it "Odette". On the next day, both the JMA
and JTWC raised the system's intensity to a low-end Category 1-equivalent typhoon, as an eye
continued to appear. While approaching the Philippines, Rai unexpectedly rapidly intensified into a
Category 5 super typhoon[nb 2] just before its first landfall across Siargao. It then slowly but steadily
weakened as it traversed Visayas, exiting into the Sulu Sea. After making its last landfall over
Palawan, Rai continued to weaken before unexpectedly re-intensifying into a Category 5-equivalent
typhoon by December 18, while nearing Vietnam. On the next day, Rai initiated yet another
weakening phase.
Tropical cyclone warnings were issued for areas in the Philippines and parts of the Caroline
Islands as Rai developed. Early bulletins were issued by PAGASA for Rai, starting on December 12
due to the persistent track of the system towards the country. As the storm neared the country, land
travels were canceled, along with flights and ferry operations. People living near coastal areas and
into the track of the storm were urged to evacuate. Fishing vessels were also docked into safety and
many provinces in the Visayas started to prepare for the storm's brunt. Storm signals were also
raised by PAGASA, first focusing on parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, before further expanding
into southern Luzon. Food and non-food packs were also prepared by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the evacuees, along with standby funds worth near $15,000.
Forced evacuations were conducted as Rai further approached the country, with some people in
the Bicol Region being warned of possible lahars from Mayon Volcano. A festival in Antique was
also affected, along with vaccination drives across the affected regions. Fishing vessels across the
coastal areas of Vietnam were moved into safety while thousands of people were prepared to be
evacuated due to the storm. Flight services were halted and crops were harvested early.
As Rai pounded the Philippines, heavy rainfall, strong winds and gusty winds impacted several
areas around the storm's path. Many areas across Visayas and Mindanao lost electricity with several
provinces and areas being deprived further of communication services. Downed trees obstructed
many roadways and flooding were a major problem across the affected regions, particularly Bohol,
where the storm was described as "one of the worst for the province". Rivers also overflowed
across Cagayan de Oro, while numerous buildings sustained damages. Surigao City was reported to
be completely damaged, and appealed for aid. Bohol also pleaded help to the government due to
the damages Rai brought to the area. A state of calamity has been placed in the province and Cebu.
So far, 375 people have died, a large portion of which were from the severely affected island of
Bohol. Damages at the aforementioned location were projected to be worth ₱5 billion ($100 million),
with those in Siargao being estimated to be worth ₱20 billion ($401 million) and those in Negros
Occidental being estimated to be worth ₱5.9 billion ($118 million). According to the United Nations,
13 million people are expected to be affected in the Philippines. Many public and private facilities
were also harmed as a result of the storm. Two crews of a vessel were reported to have been
missing over Bạch Long Vĩ Island's waters.

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