Typhoon Durian

Typhoon Durian, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Reming, was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that struck the Philippines and Vietnam in late 2006. The 21st named storm of the annual typhoon season, Durian formed in late November 2006 over the western Pacific Ocean near the Federated States of Micronesia. It intensified into a powerful typhoon while moving westward toward the Philippines. Late on November 29, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) assessed that Durian reached peak winds of 195 km/h (121 mph) sustained over 10 minutes. After slight weakening, Durian moved through central Philippines on November 30, emerging into the South China Sea the next day. A few days later, Durian hit southern Vietnam, and after weakening over land, emerged into the Gulf of Thailand. On December 6, the former typhoon moved across Thailand as a tropical depression, emerging into the Bay of Bengal, where it failed to redevelop. Typhoon Durian caused massive loss of life when mudflows from the Mayon Volcano buried many villages. Durian first made landfall in the Philippines, packing strong winds and heavy rains that caused mudflows near Mayon Volcano. In Vietnam, Durian caused further damage of more than US$450 million. In all, Durian killed almost 2,000 people, and left hundreds more missing. Damages in the Philippines from the typhoon amounted to 5.086 billion PHP (US$130 million).