Typhoon Haiyan case study revision

Main Subject

Geography

Key stage

KS4

What's included

Detailed Typhoon Haiyan case study notes
Student mind map task to support independent revision
Three exam-style questions with mark schemes

Available as a free PDF download, or as an editable Word document for subscribers.

About this Typhoon Haiyan case study

Our essential case study resource provides:

1. Comprehensive case study notes

A detailed breakdown of the devastating 2013 Philippines super-typhoon
Storm formation and Category 5 classification
Primary and secondary impacts (social, economic, environmental)
Short-term and long-term responses

2. Student-friendly revision opportunities

Mind mapping activities with structured prompts
Self-assessment tasks using knowledge organisers
Clear categorisation of key information

3. Exam preparation support

Practice questions aligned with GCSE mark schemes
Detailed guidance on structuring responses
Questions covering various mark allocations (6-9 marks)
Focus on assessment of impacts and responses

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Case study notes: Typhoon Haiyan

Read on for an overview of this case study, or download our printable resource for the complete set of revision materials and exam practice questions.

Summary

From 3 November to 11 November 2013 a tropical storm hit the Philippines and eastern Asia. It started as a tropical depression but quickly became a super-typhoon.
Locally it was named ‘Typhoon Yolanda’.
When it hit the Philippines, it was a category five storm on the Saffir−Simpson scale.
The winds were up to 275 km/h and caused waves as high as 14 m.

Where did the tropical storm occur?

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines at 40pm on 7 November 2013.
The Philippines is a group of 7 641 islands and is located in the Pacific Ocean, south-east of China and east of Vietnam.
Tacloban was one of the worst-hit Tacloban is in Leyte, in the central Philippines.

Causes of Typhoon Haiyan

Three key ingredients are required for tropical storms to form:

Deep ocean water above 27°C in
Converging
A storm which results in warm, moist

They start as tropical The strong winds pull in moisture from the oceans. The warmer the ocean temperature, the more quickly the water evaporates.
If the winds are converging towards the centre of the storm it causes the storm to start spinning.
As the warming air cools and condenses it forms a tall, towering cumulonimbus cloud.
The low pressure of the tropical storm sucks in more air, and this causes very strong
As the typhoon moves across water it becomes stronger.

Effects of Typhoon Haiyan

	Primary	Secondary
Social	Approximately 7 400 people died. Over 600 000 people were displaced. 1.1 million homes were destroyed and many more were damaged.	Over 14 million were affected, many were left homeless. Power supplies in some areas were disconnected for a month. There were outbreaks of disease due to shortage of water and medical supplies. Violence broke out in Tacloban as many people felt that they weren’t getting the help they needed.
Environmental	Over 400 mm of rain caused widespread flooding. A five-metre storm surge also caused flooding. Strong winds destroyed crops – 71 000 hectares of farmland were affected.	The flooding led to landslides which cut off roads to remote communities. Water supplies became contaminated with sewage. Fishing waters were contaminated with oil as a tanker ran aground, causing an 800 000-litre oil leak.
Economic	30 000 fishing boats were destroyed which meant a loss of income for fishing families. The airport was destroyed, immediately affecting tourism and businesses.	Many jobs were lost. The buildings that were destroyed needed rebuilding – including airports, shops, schools and hospitals. This was costly. Looting broke out, which led to a further loss of income for shops and businesses. Estimated losses in agriculture were $2.9 billion. The overall economic impact was estimated at $5.8 billion.

Responses to Typhoon Hayain

Immediate:

Food, water and temporary shelters were sent by many countries including the USA, UK and The UK also sent shelter kits, which provided emergency shelter for families.
Over 1 200 evacuation centres were set up to help the homeless.
French, Belgian and Israeli field hospitals were set up to help the injured.

Long-term responses:

Roads, bridges and airport facilities were rebuilt.
Aid agencies such as Oxfam supported the replacement of fishing boats.
Cyclone shelters were built in case of future tropical storms. These were created for people who needed to be evacuated from coastal areas.

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