The wake of Typhoon Bopha: Philippines
Typhoon Bopha, an incredibly powerful typhoon, has killed hundreds, triggered landslides and floods and left immeasurable destruction in its path in the Philippines. The death toll stands at over 500 – entire families washed away – many still missing. At least 200 of the victims died in Compostela Valley alone. A muddy wasteland of collapsed houses and trees felled by ferocious winds; 300,000 left homeless in great need of water, food and shelter. – Paula Nelson ( 38 photos total)
Typhoon Bopha is shown moving toward the Philippines from the International Space Station, Dec. 2, 2012. The typhoon slammed into the Davao region of the Philippines early Dec. 4, killing hundreds and forcing more than 50,000 to flee from inundated villages. (NASA/Associated Press)
Banana trees destroyed by Typhoon Bopha at a plantation in Compostela town, Compostela Valley province, on the southern island of Mindanao, Dec. 4, 2012. Typhoon Bopha killed 43 people in one hard-hit Philippine town Dec. 4, local television station ABS-CBN reported from the scene. (Karlos Manlupig/AFP/Getty Images)#
An elderly woman is assisted by a soldier of the 71st Infantry Battalion, 1001st Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army at a flooded area in Compostela Valley, southern Philippines. The death toll from Typhoon Bhopa climbed to more than 100 people, Dec. 5, while scores of others remain missing in the worst-hit areas of the southern Philippines. (The Philippine Army/Associated Press) #
A boy waits in a temporary shelter after Typhoon Bopha made landfall in Compostela Valley in southeastern Philippines, Dec. 4, 2012. Typhoon Bopha (local name Pablo), one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines this year, barreled across the country's south, killing at least 40 people and forcing more than 50,000 to flee from inundated villages. (Karlos Manlupig/Associated Press)#
Residents walk among the debris littered on a road after flashfloods brought by Typhoon Bopha in Compostela Valley in southern Philippines, Dec. 5, 2012. Blocked roads and severed communications in the southern Philippines frustrated rescuers as teams searched for hundreds of people missing after the strongest typhoon this year killed at least 283 people. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)#
Residents try to identify bodies of relatives, victims of flash floods in New Bataan town, Compostela Valley province, Dec. 5, 2012, a day after Typhoon Bopha hit the province. At least 274 people have been killed and hundreds remain missing in the Philippines from the deadliest typhoon to hit the country this year, the civil defense chief said. (Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images)#
Relatives grieve as they view bodies recovered from floods in New Bataan, Compostela Valley province, southern Philippines, Dec. 5, 2012. The death toll from Typhoon Bhopa climbed, while scores of others remain missing in the worst-hit areas of the southern Philippines. (Karlos Manlupig/Associated Press)#
Survivors are loaded onto a flat bed truck to be taken to a hospital in the aftermath of Typhoon Bopha in New Bataan, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines, Dec. 5, 2012. The death toll from a typhoon that ravaged the Philippines jumped to 274 Dec. 5 with hundreds more missing, as rescuers battled to reach areas cut off by floods and mudslides. (Karlos Manlupig/AFP/Getty Images)#
Residents try to rebuild their house destroyed by Typhoon Bopha in Compostela Valley, southern Philippines, Dec. 5, 2012. Blocked roads and severed communications in the southern Philippines frustrated rescuers as teams searched for hundreds of people missing after the strongest typhoon this year killed at least 283 people. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)#
Residents wash their clothes amid the devastation left by Typhoon Bopha, in the village of Andap, New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in southern Philippines, Dec. 5, 2012. Typhoon Bopha, one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines this year, barreled across the country's south, killing scores of people while triggering landslides, flooding and cutting off power in two entire provinces. (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press)#
A girl sits on top of boulders washed to the road by flash floods at the height of Typhoon Bopha in the village of Andap, New Bataan town, Compostela Valley province, Dec. 5, 2012, a day after the powerful Typhoon hit the province. At least 274 people have been killed and hundreds remain missing in the Philippines from the deadliest typhoon to hit the country this year, the civil defense chief said. (Ted Aljibe/AFP/Getty Images)#
Children retrieve their books and other belongings from their damaged home, Dec. 5, 2012, a day after powerful Typhoon Bopha hit Montevista township, in the Compostela Valley in southern Philippines. Typhoon Bopha (local name Pablo), one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines this year. (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press)#
The devastation brought about by powerful Typhoon Bopha at Montevista township, Compostela Valley in southern Philippines, Dec. 5, 2012. Typhoon Bopha, one of the strongest typhoons to hit the Philippines this year, killed scores of peopl while triggering landslides, flooding and cutting off power in two entire provinces. (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press)#
Residents examine their house, damaged by a devastating typhoon, Dec. 6, 2012, in New Bataan township, Compostela Valley in the southern Philippines. The powerful typhoon that washed away emergency shelters, a military camp and possibly entire families in the southern Philippines has killed hundreds of people with nearly 400 missing, authorities said. (Bullit Marquez/Associated Press)#
A woman dries her laundry next to her family's makeshift tent in Montevista town in Compostela Valley in southern Philippines, Dec. 6, 2012. The numbers of dead and missing vary, but the head of the national disaster agency said 332 people were killed and 379 were missing after Typhoon Bopha triggered landslides and floods along the coast and in farming and mining towns inland in the southern Mindanao region. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)#
An aerial view of damaged houses caused by flash floods in Compostela Valley province, southern Philippines, Dec. 6, 2012. Rescue workers searched through thick mud, broken homes and fallen trees for survivors, two days after Typhoon Bopha swept the southern Philippines. (Philippine Army 10th Infantry Division/Reuters)#
Rescuers evacuate a child who survived flooding with her pregnant mother as they cross a river in New Bataan town, Compostela Valley, southern Philippines, Dec. 6, 2012. Rescuers found the six-month pregnant woman on the other side of a river, stranded with her one-year-old son after escaping floods that swamped their house. (Erik De Castro/Reuters)#
More links and information
Typhoon Bopha Kills Hundreds in Philippines - NYTimes.com, 12/05
Typhoon Bopha leaves thousands in the Philippines in evacuation centers - CNN ireport, 12/04
Typhoon Bopha: Philippines death toll climbs - World News, The Guardian.co.uk
