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S’pore History: In 2001, A Typhoon Hit S’pore That Caused Flight Delays

2018-07-06 , 3:37 pm

Last Updated on 2023-03-31 , 7:17 pm

If you think Singapore is completely free from natural disaster, think again. On 19 December 2001, a tropical cyclone formed near the equator, somewhere along the northwest coastline of Borneo (east of Singapore).

Two days later, it reached the open water. On 27 December 2001, it was unofficially classified as a tropical storm, but when it was reported to have wind gusts of 195 kmh on sea, and later caused landfall, the Malaysian Meteorological Department classified it as a typhoon.

Usually, typhoons are caused by what is known as a “Coriolis effect”: with Singapore near the equator, which effectively means that “air can spin out but cannot spin in” (just try to imagine Earth rotating at superfast speed and you’ll understand), it’s almost impossible for a typhoon to be in the region.

It is projected that for something so strong to be in Singapore, it needs extreme conditions and can occur only once every few hundred years. Known as the Tropical Storm Vamei, the effects it has on Singapore is mainly trees falling and delayed flights in Changi Airport.

Some of us might just dismiss it as a heavy rain with strong winds, but up north in Malaysia, the effects were more severe. Malaysia has the same geographical benefits as Singapore, being located near the equator and not having to face such strong storms often.

Before the storm could reach Malaysia, the Malaysian Meteorological Department issued advisories on the impending bad weather. This time, flooding and landslides occurred in Johor and Pahang, forcing over 13,000 people to be evacuated.

The damage was projected to be well over RM13.7 million, and caused the deaths of five people. Affected families were given RM5,000 for assistance by the Malaysia Government.

During the two-day typhoon, there were also damages to public transportation, schools and medical centres. We all know exactly how close Singapore is to Malaysia—in other words, we could have been the ones facing the more serious repercussions of the typhoon.

So, let’s not get complacent. Prepare your disaster kits, because hey, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

S’pore History: In 2001, A Typhoon Hit S’pore That Caused Flight Delays

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