Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, slammed into the Philippines on Friday. At least 12* people are confirmed dead and 320,000 people have been evacuated, communications are also down in the Visayas and Mindanao region and Siargao Island sustained heavy damage. “The full picture is only just starting to emerge, but it is clear there is widespread devastation,” said Alberto Bocanegra, head of the IFRC. The super typhoon exploded in intensity just before making landfall. Climate change, caused by the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels is making major cyclonic storms more intense and fueling increased rapid intensification. Super Typhoon Rai strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 5-equivalent storm with wind speed that increased by 85 mph in just 24 hours. (Washington Post $, New York Times $, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Yale Climate Connections, CNN, Reuters, Axios; Climate Signals background: Intense cyclonic storm increase)
*The death toll from Super Typhoon Rai eventually rose above 400. (Reuters)