Panel Discussion 10 Typhoon Haiyan

Thursday, 3 April 2014: 1:15 PM-2:45 PM
Auditorium (AAAS Building)
Host: 2014 AMS Washington Forum
Moderator:
Cory Springer, Director, Weather & Environment Strategic Operations, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. , Arlington, VA

Typhoon Haiyan was an unprecedented storm. Making landfall in the Philippines on November 8, 2013 as a Category 5 typhoon, the storm left significant damage in its wake. Additional countries impacted included Vietnam and southern China, as well as Micronesia and Palau. It was the strongest cyclone to hit land in recorded history. While the storm’s 200 mph winds were devastating, it was the two-story-high storm surge that was most destructive - flooding homes, schools, and hospitals. Since 1969, only three storms have had sustained winds close to this magnitude — Hurricane Camille in 1969, Super Typhoon Tip in 1979, and Hurricane Allen in 1980. Typhoon predictions – and related technology – have improved substantially over this time, and the predictions for Haiyan were quite accurate. However, the impacts of this storm were still huge, especially in the Philippines. This panel will examine some of the technologies that assisted with the prediction and response to this storm, and how they compared to what was available in past storms – and explore what should happen next in planning for the next super typhoon like Haiyan. The panel discussion will also address the comparisons in prediction and response to Superstorm Sandy that hit the coast of New Jersey in October 2012.

Papers:
Curt Barrett
Curt Barrett, Consultant to USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), Westminster, MD

Handout (5.6 MB)

Nicholas Behnken
Nicholas Behnken, Sr. Technical Representative, Pacific Disaster Center, Kihei, HI

Handout (24.4 MB)

Fred Branski
Fred Branski, WMO, President of Commission for Basic Systems, and NWS, International User Requirements Liaison, Silver Spring, MD

Handout (2.1 MB)

David Robinson
David A. Robinson, Professor, Rutgers University and NJ State Climatologist, Piscataway, NJ

Handout (3.5 MB)

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