Rahastuti Tiara Adysti¹, Hilman Ardika Wibowo¹, Kharis Aulia Alam¹, Dekka Dhirgantara Putra¹, Hoferdy Zawani¹
¹Resilience Development Initiative, Bandung, Indonesia
Corresponding Author: tiara.adysti@rdi.or.id
On 7 September 2024, Southeast Asia found itself in the crosshairs of a meteorological behemoth: Super Typhoon Yagi. This Category 5 tropical cyclone, known locally in the Philippines as "Severe Tropical Storm Enteng," unleashed its fury with wind speeds topping 257 km/h. It has become Asia's most powerful storm this year. The typhoon's heavy rainfall and gale-force winds triggered a cascade of environmental calamities, including widespread flooding and devastating landslides. In its wake, Yagi left a sobering tally: hundreds of lives lost, thousands displaced, and multiple sectors shattered.
1. Understanding Yagi
Typhoon, also commonly known as a tropical cyclone or hurricane, is a warm-core low-pressure system with an organised circulation that develops over the tropical or subtropical waters with sea surface temperatures at least 27 °C and at higher than 5° latitude of the equator. The formation of typhoons starts with tropical disturbance and ends with typhoons depending on the wind speeds and the forms (1,2).
Figure.1 Stages of a Typhoon (2)
Figure. 2 Typhoon Yagi Formation Track Map (3)
Figure 3. Typhoon Yagi's Intensity Over Time
Typhoon Yagi brought sustained wind speeds up to 257 km/h, accompanied by gusts nearing 270 km/h. The typhoon unleashed torrential rainfall, with some areas recording more than 300 mm/day. The storm surge in coastal regions was significant, reaching heights of up to 4 meters and affecting low-lying areas with extensive flooding. These physical attributes made Yagi one of the region’s most powerful and damaging storms in recent years. This typhoon caused extensive damage across Southeast Asia. In Lao PDR, 185,800 people were affected, USD 7.9 million of economic assets, and 24,697 hectares of agricultural land. Myanmar experienced 328 deaths and widespread damage to infrastructure, impacting the life of 569,000 people. In the Philippines, 804,440 families were affected, with 21 fatalities and USD 53 million in losses. Meanwhile, Vietnam saw 333 people dead or missing, with USD 2.5 billion in damages, including the destruction of over 200,000 hectares of rice and millions of livestock (4).
Figure 4. Geographical Distribution of the Affected Population by Typhoon Yagi in Southeast Asia (4)
Figure 5. Typhoon Yagi’s Casualty Count in Southeast Asia
2. Monitoring and Warning Prior to Typhoon Yagi’s Landfall
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) first caught wind of the nascent storm on August 30, identifying a low-pressure system that would soon evolve. Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) stood guard by tracking every twist and turn of the storm's journey. Many regions across the ocean were reported to have detected the early time of the typhoon, increasing tension for the unexpected events. As Yagi intensified, PAGASA issued Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals, progressively upgrading its status. Public announcements were released to prepare the public to anticipate Yagi.
3. Strong Warning but a Fragile Infrastructure
Despite the availability of advanced early warning systems, the existing infrastructure proved inadequate to withstand the cyclone's impact, underscoring a critical gap between forecasting capabilities and structural resilience. In Lao PDR, this typhoon destroyed 252 road sections, 77 schools, 11 health facilities, and 298 houses. Myanmar was facing significant infrastructure losses, including 498 schools, 535 road and bridge sections, 2,489 electric poles, and 107 communication towers (4). Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) has reported that the sector suffered approximately USD 7.3 million in damages due to Typhoon Yagi. It was reported more than 40 locations were flooded or washed away, hundreds of trees and building structures fell, and communication lines were cut. Not to mention a video of a collapsed bridge in Vietnam that became an internet sensation (5,6).
In response to the catastrophe, the local governments of the affected countries took several actions to assess the impact and mobilise resources locally. Lao PDR and Myanmar focused on needs assessment and rescue operations, respectively. The Philippines provided comprehensive aid, including USD 3.7 million in assistance. Thailand activated its disaster response, while Vietnam managed reservoirs and coordinated recovery efforts (4).
4. A Helping Hand Across Borders
International support quickly mobilised to assist the affected countries. The European Union contributed USD 3 million in emergency aid, while the United States provided USD 1 million in humanitarian assistance (7,8). Japan provided 40 portable water filters and 200 multi-purpose tarps to Vietnam, worth USD 124,100 (9). Later, after the aid from international organisations arrived, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) deployed its disaster response mechanisms worth USD 500,000 (4). While some countries may not have provided immediate bilateral assistance during this crisis, their contributions through regional frameworks like the AHA Centre demonstrate a commitment to coordinated regional action. It is also important to note that the apparent quicker responses from non-ASEAN countries like the US, European nations, and Japan may reflect their financial capacities rather than indicate superior preparedness compared to ASEAN members.
5. Toward a More Resilient and Solidaristic Future
The devastation caused by Typhoon Yagi, particularly to critical infrastructure, is a stark reminder of the importance of comprehensive disaster preparedness and resilience-building efforts. This sobering event calls for a thorough reassessment of vulnerabilities in light of the growing impacts of climate change. To better tackle future shocks, it is imperative to strengthen financial mechanisms and develop specialised insurance solutions that can provide timely and adequate support in the event of disasters. Governments should focus on infrastructure investments that promote long-term sustainability and disaster resilience, leading to safer and stronger communities in the future.
Yagi's unprecedented power also serves as a wake-up call to the profound disruptions in our atmosphere caused by climate change. The storm effects that wipe across multiple nations underscore the limitation of geopolitical boundaries in dealing with big-scale disasters. The transboundary nature of modern disasters calls for a new era of regional cooperation, particularly within ASEAN and the broader Asia-Pacific community. Along these lines, joint investments in disaster risk reduction strategies, such as shared early warning systems and regional emergency funds, like the one highlighted in the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), could strengthen individual countries' preparedness and response capabilities, ultimately minimising damage and saving lives.
The upcoming Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) in Manila (14-18 October 2024) presents a valuable opportunity to strengthen this collaboration and build upon existing efforts in disaster risk reduction, of which the Resilience Development Initiative (RDI) will take part. RDI is committed to contributing to this important conference by sharing insights on disaster risk financing and insurance, as well as climate disaster displacement.
In terms of climate study, RDI, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), has leveraged the CLEAR+ method to conduct comprehensive analyses of climate impacts on livelihoods in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, providing crucial insights for government policy-making. This proven approach holds immense potential for broader application in addressing the escalating challenges of cross-border climate-related hazards.
Ultimately, we believe that transboundary cooperation in disaster management would play a role in increasing the capacity of nations due to intensifying disaster risks in our changing climate.
Acknowledgement:
This study was conducted by the Multi-hazard Preparedness Working Group, with support from the Knowledge and Academic Unit of the Resilience Development Initiative (RDI). The authors would also like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable expert insights and constructive suggestions on the earlier version of this manuscript, which led to notable quality improvements in this work.
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