Typhoon Mitag (2007)
Encyclopedia
Typhoon Mitag was a strong typhoon that caused deadly flooding in the Philippines.
(JTWC) on November 19, 2007 as an area of scattered convective activity
situated roughly 410 km (255 mi) south-southwest of Guam
. Located within a region of low wind shear
and favoring good outflow
, development of the system was anticipated over the following few days. Later that day, a low-level circulation
was discovered as the disturbance became increasingly organized. Shortly thereafter, the Japan Meteorological Agency
(JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression. Early on November 20, convective banding features
developed along the periphery of the depression as it moved into an area of good divergence
. Around 1200 UTC
, the JMA upgraded the depression to a tropical storm, assigning it the name Mitag. This name was contributed by Micronesia
and translates to "my eyes" and is also a name for a Yap
woman. Several hours later, the JTWC issued their first advisory on Mitag, designating it as Tropical Storm 24W. Around the same time, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) issued their first advisory on the system as it entered their area of responsibility. They dubbed Mitag with the local Philippine name of Mina at this time.
The storm strengthened significantly early on November 21 and became a severe tropical storm. Later that day, the JTWC upgraded Mitag to a typhoon, and the JMA also upgraded it late that evening. As Mitag remained stationary in the Philippine Sea
for a day as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon, it changed its course and instead of hitting Catanduanes
and the Bicol Region
, it will make a landfall at the Aurora-Isabela area. Nonetheless, PAGASA
announced that there is still a possibility of the typhoon to once again change its course. The storm turned northwest towards northern Luzon
and made landfall late on November 25. It tracked across the island and was downgraded to a severe tropical storm before emerging back over water on November 26. It turned back to the east before reaching Taiwan
, and became extratropical on November 27.
placed five battalions, consisting of trucks, saws, boats, helicopters and naval ships to respond to reports of missing people and clear debris after the storm.
An estimated 300,000 people evacuated ahead of the storm from six provinces in Luzon. Roughly 15,000 people were also evacuated from Palanan. Hospital staff were placed on 24-hour standby to readily assist people injured by the storm. Typhoon Mitag became the most significant storm to threaten the country since Typhoon Durian
one year prior. Thousands of residents were evacuated throughout 40 regions. The Government of the United States was on standby in Okinawa to immediately deploy assistance in fear of another major disaster. Roughly 30,000 people evacuated the Bicol Peninsula
ahead of the storm. In Isabela province, 54,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas prone to flooding. Trucks with relief items, such as food and medicine, were stocked and prepped for immediate deployment.
Over 2,000 residents were evacuated from Albay Province by November 22. Officials reported that nearly 654,000 people had to be evacuated from the province, especially those near the Mayon Volcano
. In Legazpi City, Camalig, Daraga, and Guinobatan towns over 9,000 people were evacuated due to the threat of lahar
s. Over 6,000 families were evacuated from Polangui town. Officials stated that there were at least 180,000 people in Albay that were at risk of being impacted by storm surge
from Typhoon Mitag. More than 200,000 families were evacuated from Camarines Sur Province. Already impacted by Typhoon Hagibis, disaster officials requested PHP
67 million (US$1.4 million) in funds for both storms. By November 23, officials urged over one million people to evacuate threatened areas as Typhoon Mitag was anticipated to become a very powerful typhoon.
and two others died from electrocution. Sixteen other fatalities resulted from drowning and one more from a flash flood. One landslide cut a portion of a major highway connecting Cagayan and Ilocos Norte.
A ship carrying 80 people capsized near the Nansha Islands on November 22. Fifty-five of the passengers were rescued; however, 25 remained missing. Hundreds of other fishermen were also presumed to be stranded on the islands during the storm. Rough seas produced by the storm also capsized two ferries, resulting in the drownings of three people. Thirty of the passengers were rescued while six others were listed as missing. A Philippine air force jet also went missing during their rescue mission near the capsized ships. The Coast Guard reported that there was no sign of either the ship or the plane during their search. Rescue attempts for the pilots were called off and they have been presumed dead.
Officials reported that 2,969 homes were destroyed and 17,950 others were damaged by the storm; a total of 779,930 people were affected. Throughout the country, damages to highways amounted to PHP162 million (US$3.79 million). Over 6,000 hectares of agricultural land was damaged or destroyed, leaving PHP109.6 million (US$2.56 million) in losses and damages to schools amounted to PHP210 million (US$4.93 million). Total damages from the storm amounted to PHP945 million (US$19.79 million).
of Mitag brought winds up to 50 km/h (30 mph) to parts of eastern Malaysia. The town of Tawau
, was particularly hard-hit, with 85 homes sustaining damage, mainly to roofs. Trees and power lines were also downed by the high winds, but there were no reports of any injuries. Off the coast of Taiwan
, an Indonesian cargo ship with 27 crew members sank due to waves produced by Mitag. One of the men were rescued; however, the remaining 26 were not found. Rescue attempts were later called off and the remaining crew were presumed dead. The remnants of Mitag contributed to heavy rains in Okinawa which damaged 3 km (1.8 mi) of roads and triggered one landslide. Winds on the island gusted up to 74 km/h (46 mph).
National Disaster Coordinating Council also provided 4,950 sacks of rice, worth PHP5 million (US$104,700) to the affected regions. By November 23, the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes declared a state of calamity due to the severity of damage. A week later, the Philippine Navy had already begun distributing food packs to the six regions affected by the typhoon. Military personnel were deployed throughout the country to reports of flash flooding, missing persons, evacuations and distribution of relief goods. Roughly PHP23.5 million (US$490,000) was provided by various agencies to assist victims of the storm.
On December 26, the Government of the Philippines announced that the Habitat for Humanity foundation was beginning construction of 495 shelters throughout the country. The total cost of the project was PHP42 million (US$879,500).
Meteorological history
Typhoon Mitag was first identified by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
(JTWC) on November 19, 2007 as an area of scattered convective activity
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
situated roughly 410 km (255 mi) south-southwest of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Located within a region of low wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and favoring good outflow
Outflow (meteorology)
Outflow, in meteorology, is air that flows outwards from a storm system. It is associated with ridging, or anticyclonic flow. In the low levels of the troposphere, outflow radiates from thunderstorms in the form of a wedge of rain-cooled air, which is visible as a thin rope-like cloud on weather...
, development of the system was anticipated over the following few days. Later that day, a low-level circulation
Eye (cyclone)
The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area and typically 30–65 km in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the second most severe weather of a cyclone...
was discovered as the disturbance became increasingly organized. Shortly thereafter, the Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
(JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression. Early on November 20, convective banding features
Rainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
developed along the periphery of the depression as it moved into an area of good divergence
Divergence
In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that measures the magnitude of a vector field's source or sink at a given point, in terms of a signed scalar. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of the outward flux of a vector field from an infinitesimal volume around...
. Around 1200 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
, the JMA upgraded the depression to a tropical storm, assigning it the name Mitag. This name was contributed by Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
and translates to "my eyes" and is also a name for a Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
woman. Several hours later, the JTWC issued their first advisory on Mitag, designating it as Tropical Storm 24W. Around the same time, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
(PAGASA) issued their first advisory on the system as it entered their area of responsibility. They dubbed Mitag with the local Philippine name of Mina at this time.
The storm strengthened significantly early on November 21 and became a severe tropical storm. Later that day, the JTWC upgraded Mitag to a typhoon, and the JMA also upgraded it late that evening. As Mitag remained stationary in the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
for a day as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon, it changed its course and instead of hitting Catanduanes
Catanduanes
Catanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757 people.-Etymology:"Isla de Cobos" was Catanduanes' first...
and the Bicol Region
Bicol Region
The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 regions of the Philippines. Its regional center is Legazpi City...
, it will make a landfall at the Aurora-Isabela area. Nonetheless, PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
announced that there is still a possibility of the typhoon to once again change its course. The storm turned northwest towards northern Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
and made landfall late on November 25. It tracked across the island and was downgraded to a severe tropical storm before emerging back over water on November 26. It turned back to the east before reaching Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and became extratropical on November 27.
Preparations
On November 22, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) of the Philippines took full precautions in advance of Typhoon Mitag. Only a tropical storm at the time, the NDCC ordered the evacuation of nearly 3,000 people and opened at least ten evacuation centers. Immediate standby funds of PHP3.2 million (US$67,000) and relief goods worth PHP41.1 million (US$860,700) were placed in the National Resource Operations Center. Trucks supplied with a combined 4,000 packs of clothing and 100 tents were prepped for immediate distribution after the storm. The Armed Forces of the PhilippinesArmed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
placed five battalions, consisting of trucks, saws, boats, helicopters and naval ships to respond to reports of missing people and clear debris after the storm.
An estimated 300,000 people evacuated ahead of the storm from six provinces in Luzon. Roughly 15,000 people were also evacuated from Palanan. Hospital staff were placed on 24-hour standby to readily assist people injured by the storm. Typhoon Mitag became the most significant storm to threaten the country since Typhoon Durian
Typhoon Durian
Typhoon Durian was an intense storm that wreaked havoc in the Philippines, causing massive loss of life when mudslides from the Mayon Volcano buried many villages...
one year prior. Thousands of residents were evacuated throughout 40 regions. The Government of the United States was on standby in Okinawa to immediately deploy assistance in fear of another major disaster. Roughly 30,000 people evacuated the Bicol Peninsula
Bicol Peninsula
Bicol is a peninsula of the Philippines. It is located on Luzon Island and is part of Bicol Region. The active Mayon Volcano is here....
ahead of the storm. In Isabela province, 54,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas prone to flooding. Trucks with relief items, such as food and medicine, were stocked and prepped for immediate deployment.
Over 2,000 residents were evacuated from Albay Province by November 22. Officials reported that nearly 654,000 people had to be evacuated from the province, especially those near the Mayon Volcano
Mayon Volcano
Mayon Volcano, also known as Mount Mayon, is an active volcano in the province of Albay, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Renowned as the "perfect cone" because of its almost symmetric conical shape, Mayon forms the northern boundary of Legazpi City, the largest city in terms of...
. In Legazpi City, Camalig, Daraga, and Guinobatan towns over 9,000 people were evacuated due to the threat of lahar
Lahar
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. The term is a shortened version of "berlahar" which originated in the Javanese language of...
s. Over 6,000 families were evacuated from Polangui town. Officials stated that there were at least 180,000 people in Albay that were at risk of being impacted by storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
from Typhoon Mitag. More than 200,000 families were evacuated from Camarines Sur Province. Already impacted by Typhoon Hagibis, disaster officials requested PHP
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
67 million (US$1.4 million) in funds for both storms. By November 23, officials urged over one million people to evacuate threatened areas as Typhoon Mitag was anticipated to become a very powerful typhoon.
Philippines
Typhoon Mitag produced torrential rainfall over the Philippines, triggering numerous landslides. At least 19 people were killed in landslides and eight others were reported as missing. These people were later confirmed to have died in landslides, seven of which occurred in Pinukpuk. Two people died of hypothermiaHypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
and two others died from electrocution. Sixteen other fatalities resulted from drowning and one more from a flash flood. One landslide cut a portion of a major highway connecting Cagayan and Ilocos Norte.
A ship carrying 80 people capsized near the Nansha Islands on November 22. Fifty-five of the passengers were rescued; however, 25 remained missing. Hundreds of other fishermen were also presumed to be stranded on the islands during the storm. Rough seas produced by the storm also capsized two ferries, resulting in the drownings of three people. Thirty of the passengers were rescued while six others were listed as missing. A Philippine air force jet also went missing during their rescue mission near the capsized ships. The Coast Guard reported that there was no sign of either the ship or the plane during their search. Rescue attempts for the pilots were called off and they have been presumed dead.
Officials reported that 2,969 homes were destroyed and 17,950 others were damaged by the storm; a total of 779,930 people were affected. Throughout the country, damages to highways amounted to PHP162 million (US$3.79 million). Over 6,000 hectares of agricultural land was damaged or destroyed, leaving PHP109.6 million (US$2.56 million) in losses and damages to schools amounted to PHP210 million (US$4.93 million). Total damages from the storm amounted to PHP945 million (US$19.79 million).
Elsewhere
On November 24, the outer bandsRainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
of Mitag brought winds up to 50 km/h (30 mph) to parts of eastern Malaysia. The town of Tawau
Tawau
Tawau is the administrative center of Tawau Division, Malaysia and the third largest town of Sabah after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.-Geography:...
, was particularly hard-hit, with 85 homes sustaining damage, mainly to roofs. Trees and power lines were also downed by the high winds, but there were no reports of any injuries. Off the coast of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, an Indonesian cargo ship with 27 crew members sank due to waves produced by Mitag. One of the men were rescued; however, the remaining 26 were not found. Rescue attempts were later called off and the remaining crew were presumed dead. The remnants of Mitag contributed to heavy rains in Okinawa which damaged 3 km (1.8 mi) of roads and triggered one landslide. Winds on the island gusted up to 74 km/h (46 mph).
Aftermath
Search and rescue teams were deployed immediately by the government to the hardest hit areas. A military contingent was deployed to three towns in northern Cagayan isolated by flood waters. The National Food Authority stocked roughly 600,000 bags of rice to assist victims of the storm. TheNational Disaster Coordinating Council also provided 4,950 sacks of rice, worth PHP5 million (US$104,700) to the affected regions. By November 23, the provinces of Albay and Catanduanes declared a state of calamity due to the severity of damage. A week later, the Philippine Navy had already begun distributing food packs to the six regions affected by the typhoon. Military personnel were deployed throughout the country to reports of flash flooding, missing persons, evacuations and distribution of relief goods. Roughly PHP23.5 million (US$490,000) was provided by various agencies to assist victims of the storm.
On December 26, the Government of the Philippines announced that the Habitat for Humanity foundation was beginning construction of 495 shelters throughout the country. The total cost of the project was PHP42 million (US$879,500).
See also
- 2007 Pacific typhoon season2007 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 2007 Pacific typhoon season was a below average season which featured 24 named storms and 14 typhoons, compared to the average of 27 and 17 respectively. had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 2007, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and...
- Timeline of the 2007 Pacific hurricane seasonTimeline of the 2007 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 2007 Pacific hurricane season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. This timeline documents all the storm formations, strengthening, weakening, landfalls, extratropical transitions, and dissipation...