page_title: Typhoon Rammasun
section_title: Philippines
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Rammasun / Preparations and impact / Philippines
caption_attribution_description: English: Animation of PSWS Raised in each province through out the passage of Glenda
context_page_description: Typhoon Rammasun, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Glenda, was one of the only two Category 5 super typhoons on record in the South China Sea, with the other one being Pamela in 1954. Rammasun had destructive impacts across the Philippines, South China, and Vietnam in July 2014. Rammasun is a Siamese word for thunder god. After Lingling and Kajiki earlier in 2014, Rammasun became the third tropical cyclone, and first typhoon to directly impact the Philippines in 2014. The ninth named storm and the third typhoon of the annual typhoon season, Rammasun formed in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, an area near the equator where the northeast and southeast trade winds come together, and slowly drifted northwest. Having passed through the islands of Micronesia, the system turned west and quickly moved under the influence of a subtropical ridge. Rammasun posed a significant threat to the Philippine island of Luzon, as it was expected to reach typhoon intensity before making landfall there.
context_section_description: Rammasun (known as "Glenda" in the Philippines) was the first typhoon to impact the Philippines in over eight months, the previous being Typhoon Haiyan. Preparations for Rammasun started in the island nation, early on July 14. In the wake of the storm, The National Transmission Corporation of the country said in their statement, "Preparations included ensuring the reliability of communications equipment, availability of hardware materials and supplies necessary for the repair of damages to facilities, as well as the positioning of line crews in strategic areas, to facilitate immediate restoration work." Storm warning signal number 3 was hoisted over Catanduanes, while signal number 2 was raised over areas such as Camarines Norte, Burias Island, Ticao Island, Marinduque, and southern Quezon. Several islands in southern Luzon and eastern western, and central Visayas were put under storm signal number 1. Over 12 million people, in all, were asked to brace for the typhoon. Classes on all levels were reportedly suspended for the next two days. Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's head Alexander Pama, in an interview, said "We are already warning the public to be on alert for possible effects of the weather disturbance: landslides, flash floods, strong rains and winds." more than 1,300 villages were advised about floods or landslides. The Embassy of the United States in Manila cancelled non-immigrant visa applicant interviews scheduled for July 15 and 16. All applicants were asked to reschedule their interviews.
  The Philippine Coast Guard asked all shipping vessels to refrain from travelling. Spokesperson Armand Balilo said "Authorities are already on standby to prevent any maritime vessels from sailing as the Philippines braces for Glenda (Ramassun). Department of the Interior and Local Government Director Edgar Tabell said "All DILG offices in Luzon and Eastern Visayas have been activated to prepare for Glenda. Evacuation centers have been prepared and power lines, bridges and roads have also been checked." He also asked all local officials to fully cooperate with them and provide support to the residents. As the typhoon neared the coastline of Philippines, the entire nation was put on red alert. By the early hours of July 15, the government reportedly evacuated eastern coastal areas of the nation. PAGASA said "Storm surges of up to three meters were expected in coastal villages." However, that evening, several other residents fled their homes as the typhoon intensified much more than anticipated. The civil defence chief of Bicol, in an interview said "We are preparing for the worst... it is critical now that we finish the evacuations. About 6,000 residents had already moved to evacuation centres, with authorities aiming to have another 39,000 take shelter before the typhoon hits. Several cities were warned of storm surge ranging from 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) to 3 metres (9.8 ft).
  Immediately after the landfall, three fishermen were reported missing. They were reported to have gone out fishing a day ago from the Philippine province of Catanduanes, and failed to return. A wall collapse in Quezon City injured two people.
  At least 90% of the total residents of Metro Manila lost power, as poles were toppled and lines downed. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines posted on Twitter, saying "Around 90% of Meralco’s franchise area is experiencing power outage brought about by downed poles, lines and outages of NGCP’s (National Grid Corporation of the Philippines) transmission lines due to Typhoon Glenda." Strong winds from the storm destroyed several homes in the slums. Most of the capital area was also completely shut down. In total, Rammasun killed 106 people and caused a damage up to Php38.6 billion (US$885 million).
caption: Animation of PAGASA's Storm Signal Raised in each province throughout the passage of Glenda