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December 16,2021

Andrew Campbell 

Typhoon Rai, which smashed into the Philippines on December 16 with winds of up to 195 km/h, displaced over 300,000 people, killed at least 12 people, destroyed homes, and collapsed power and communication lines.

Typhoon Rai once became a category 5 storm, the highest classification, but then weakened and was expected to leave the Philippines by December 18. Rai is expected to hold its strength for a further 24 hours before fading away. It will bring some rain to Vietnam and Hainan province in China, while the effects are not expected to be severe.

The Philippines, which is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to climate change, is slammed by an average of 20 storms and typhoons each year, destroying crops, residences, and infrastructure in the already poor areas.