page_title: Typhoon Bopha
section_title: Federated States of Micronesia and Palau
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Bopha / Preparations / Federated States of Micronesia and Palau
caption_attribution_description: English: The Crew members of the International Space Station captured this true color image seen from space, Typhoon Bopha, on December 2, 2012, as a category 4 super typhoon. ISS Crew Earth Observations: ISS034-E-005476IdentificationMissionISS034 (Expedition 34)RollEFrame005476Country or Geographic NamePACIFIC OCEANFeaturesPAN-SUPER TYPHOON BOPHA, EYE FEATURE, ISSCenter Point Latitude6.0° NCenter Point Longitude137.5° ECameraCamera TiltHigh ObliqueCamera Focal Length56&#160;mmCameraNikon D3SFilm4256 x 2832 pixel CMOS sensor, 36.0mm x 23.9mm, total pixels: 12.87 million, Nikon FX format.QualityPercentage of Cloud Cover76-100%Nadir What is Nadir?Date2012-12-01Time21:34:35Nadir Point Latitude7.8° NNadir Point Longitude147.4° ENadir to Photo Center DirectionWestSun Azimuth116°Spacecraft Altitude228 nautical miles (422&#160;km)Sun Elevation Angle19°Original image captionISS034-E-005746 (2 Dec. 2012) --- One of the Expedition 34 crew members aboard the International Space Station captured this still image of Super Typhoon Bopha on Dec. 2, 2012. The storm was bearing down on the Philippines with winds of 135 miles per hour. Meteorologists are predicting that the storm will make landfall on Mindanao in the early morning of Dec. 4 local time, as either a category 4 or 5. Parts of the orbital outpost are seen in the picture -- the Permanent Multipurpose Module on the left, and Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM1) on the right.
context_page_description: Typhoon Bopha, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Pablo, was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to ever affect the southern Filipino island of Mindanao, making landfall as a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 175 mph. The twenty-fourth tropical storm, along with being the fourth and final super typhoon of the 2012 Pacific Typhoon season, Bopha originated unusually close to the equator, becoming the second-most southerly Category 5 super typhoon, reaching a minimum latitude of 7.4°N on December 3, 2012, as only Typhoon Louise-Marge of 1964 came closer to the equator at this strength, at 7.3°N. After first landfalling in Palau, where it destroyed houses, disrupted communications and caused power outages, flooding and uprooted trees, Bopha made landfall late on December 3 on Mindanao, an island that had been devastated by the much weaker Tropical Storm Washi in December 2011. The storm caused widespread destruction on Mindanao, leaving thousands of people homeless and killing 1901 people.
  After hitting Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro provinces, Bopha shifted through the southern and central regions of Mindanao, cutting power to two provinces and triggering landslides.
context_section_description: As Bopha was organizing, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam issued a tropical storm watch for the FSM islands of Nukuoro and Lukunor. The watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning on November 26, and the watch was expanded to include Losap and Chuuk Lagoon. As Bopha moved westward, the office also issued a tropical storm watch for Poluwat, and Satawal, both of which were upgraded to warnings, and a typhoon watch was issued for Woleai.
  The Palau National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) issued an announcement on November 29 requesting the public to stock up with emergency supplies such as food and water for three days, portable radios with spare batteries, flashlights, and first-aid kits. The citizens of Palau were also advised to secure loose objects that might be lifted up by the strong winds, board up windows, trim tree branches that could fall and damage homes, fill up vehicles with gas, secure boats and assist their communities in preparing.
caption: View of Typhoon Bopha from the ISS on December 2 as a Category 4 super typhoon nearing Palau
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