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Typhoon Becky - Aug 1990

Estado
Pasado
Países
Filipinas
+ 2
Tipos de desastres
Ciclón tropical
+ 1

An area of disturbed weather hovered over the western North Pacific to the east of Luzon for several days before developing into a tropical depression about 910 km east-northeast of Manila early on 25 August. It moved northwestwards at about 13 km/h initially and intensified to a tropical storm named Becky in the afternoon. It then turned west-southwestwards towards Luzon. Having reached severe tropical storm intensity about 520 km north-northeast of Manila earlier that day, Becky made landfall over northern Luzon on the afternoon of 26 August.

There were 103 people in the Philippines killed during the passage of Becky. A missionary school dormitory and at least 250 houses were buried by landslides triggered by heavy rain as Becky swept across three villages in northern Luzon. Another landslide occurred near a gold mine.

Becky entered the South China Sea around midnight of 26 August. Its circulation grew in size and it attained typhoon intensity about 350 km south-southeast of Dongsha on 27 August. Thereafter, it moved steadily westwards in an almost straight line at a speed of about 22 km/h. A ragged eye appeared temporarily on satellite photographs that evening. Becky passed about 100 km north of Xisha during the day on 28 August and about 50 km south of Hainan Island the next morning.

In Hainan, about 4000 hectares of rice paddy were damaged and other crops such as sugar cane, rubber and lumber were also ruined. An engineering ship and a 7000-tonne cargo ship, 'Alphard', vanished in the high seas with 13 and 22 crewmen on board respectively.

Becky weakened to a severe tropical storm just before landing over central Vietnam about 250 km northwest of Danang early in the evening on 29 August. It crossed Laos and entered northeastern Thailand where it finally dissipated about 470 km north-northeast of Bangkok on 30 August. In the central provinces of Vietnam, about 6600 houses were destroyed and 8900 others were damaged. Three ships capsized and 237 fishing boats were destroyed or damaged. About 160 000 hectares of rice paddy were ruined. The death toll was 15 and thousands of people were made homeless. (Govt. of Hong Kong SAR, 29 Feb 1992)