The typhoon season in Asia arrived with full force at the start of August, with several storm systems hitting the Philippines and China.

Typhoon Utor

Typhoon Utor made landfall in the Philippines on Monday 12th August, bringing with it winds of up to 175 km/h. In the province of Aurora, where the typhoon first made landfall, communications were severely disrupted due to power outages and damaged cell sites. Whilst it was reported that it may take between two weeks and two months to restore electricity to the worst hit provinces, network operator SMART Communications Inc. (SMART) report that services in the affected areas were expected to be restored within just two days.

Storm surges were reported and heavy rains triggered flash flooding and landslides. 8 people are reported to have been killed and 7 injured, with 4 reported as missing. Over 12,090 houses were damaged, 1440 of these completely destroyed. Approximately 58,000 people were forced to seek refuge with friends and family. Globe Telecom has been working with the Department of Education and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) providing support to allow the status of affected schools to be monitored via call, text, and internet. Many schools closed during the flooding, prompting those using social media to spread the word. Globe has also opened its GCASH micro-payment service to accept donations for relief operations.

As typhoon Utor approached the Guangdong province in Southern China with winds of up to 120 km/h, 60,000 people were evacuated from the city of Maoming and a further 98,000 moved to safety on the island province of Hainan. As the typhoon weakened to a tropical storm and moved slowly northwest, substantial rainfall led to wide scale flooding, affecting 4 million people in Guangdong Province. 513,000 people were relocated and 19,000 houses were damaged.

Additionally the worst flooding in decades hit the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang in north-eastern China. Over 1.5 million people were affected, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. Combined, typhoon Utor in the south and flooding in the north-east of China have left at least 105 people dead with a reported 115 missing as reported by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Typhoon Trami

Known locally as Maring, Typhoon Trami coincided with monsoon rains causing widespread flooding in the Philippines, only a week after being hit by Typhoon Utor. It was reported that Trami claimed 18 lives and left 41 people injured and 4 people missing. As well, 227 homes were partially or totally destroyed.

On August 20, SMART Communications Inc. released a statement saying it had deployed Libreng Tawag (free call) stations and distributed relief goods to assist residents of several areas flooded by torrential monsoon rains intensified by Typhoon Trami.

Due to network preparations, upgrade and planning, it is reported that the SMART network remains resilient and strong in the face of the adverse weather conditions. Minor interruptions were due to prolonged commercial power interruptions in flooded areas but these are being restored immediately as power resumes.

Sun Cellular subscribers have also been allowed to roam in SMART’s network in parts of North and Central Luzon to provide them access to mobile phone services. Residents were making use of social media, tweeting messages with the hash tag #RescuePH, and texting calls for help to a database to request assistance. Multiple media forms have also been pulled together on HABAGAT consolidating announcements on Maring and providing information on hotlines and contacts for various rescue and aid giving organisations.

Typhoon Usagi

The most recent typhoon to hit the region formed around the 16^th of September, reaching the Philippines on the 21^st before moving towards the coast of China. Ranked as a red alert (the highest) by the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS)the typhoon had the potential to impact an estimated 38 million people in its path with Category 3 (185 km/h) wind speeds or higher.

At its height Typhoon Usagi surpassed Typhoon Utor, registering as the strongest storm of the year so far. Transport networks were affected with many flights from Hong Kong International Airport cancelled and shipping lanes closed. The typhoon claimed the lives of 25 people in China, where it continues to pose substantial risk as it moves northwards, and the deaths of 2 people in the Philippines with a further 3 reported as missing. The weakening of the typhoon and a northwards shift in its track meant it avoided directly passing over Hong Kong, avoiding even greater loss of life and property. Numerous communication networks have been disrupted by the typhoon. A clearer image of the impacts of Usagi will emerge over the coming days.

Looking forward

Mobile networks in the region, on the whole, have not been too badly affected by the recent events and it appears that resilience measures put in place are preventing serious damage to communications infrastructure. With an average of 20 typhoons a season, there is little doubt that these measures will be tested again over the coming months.
Weaknesses identified during the past weeks should be strengthened, repairs made and plans re-evaluated. Disasters have tragic impacts, but protecting communication networks mean that these impacts can be handled and ultimately reduced as efficiently as possible.
Check out previous GSMA blogs for more on this topic:

• Key Partnerships Speed Response to Typhoon Bopha
• Getting ready for cyclone season: Mobile operators and disaster preparedness
• Flooding in the Philippines: A Look at SMART’s Disaster Response Activities

N.B: Figures from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre (NDRMC) of the Philippines, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), Hong Kong Observatory, www.gov.hkand the Emergency Management Office the People’s Government of Guangdong Province.

Photo credit: NASA/NOAA, via Flickr.