When it comes to hurricanes, otherwise known as typhoons in the eastern part of the world, NASA has been extremely helpful along with local agencies and authorities for keeping the public abreast of everything that goes on. With this particular typhoon, Maysak, it is extremely important.
Maysak, a category 5 hurricane identified in Micronesia, has become an increasing threat over the past few days. It also has major storm formations and deadly wind speeds up to almost 165 miles an hour.
The current area that needs to be concerned for the quickly approaching storm is Yap State. The Philippines are thankfully safe for the time being from this deadly storm. With all of the current technology that is available, scientists are able to keep a close eye on the storm as well as continue to give updated reports as they come in for the public. NASA is cooperating with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency to help keep everyone informed. By using NASA’s Aqua satellite, scientists are able to tell the exact size and shape of the storm.
With the benefit of other satellites, including NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite (TRMM), and NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement satellite (GPM), NASA can help provide local authorities with much needed information. This helps scientists and meteorologists to know exactly how much rainfall the storm has produced, as well as where the storms are the largest amongst the typhoon.
Maysak is currently classified as a super typhoon due to its enormous size. The eye of this terrifying storm is 15 nautical miles wide.
The storm seems to show no intention of slowing down, and as it continues its journey towards Yap State, inhabitants are strongly encouraged to evacuate until the storm subsides. Deadly consequences could be sustained from this storm, along with destruction of property, electric outages and major flooding in the affected areas. It is not a storm to take lightly and should be treated as the threat that it is. The inhabitants of Luzon are also strongly encouraged to evacuate as the storm’s current trajectory shows it heading in that direction shortly. The storm looks like it will be at its strongest point within the next couple of days. It is critical to be aware of the situation and to be prepared should the worst occur.
The good news is that with the help of NASA and the JTWC forecast, the public is able to stay informed of these natural disasters and they are able to prepare accordingly. The ideal situation is that the storm will change direction and that Yap State will miss the worst of the storms, but this unfortunately does not seem likely. As the Micronesian inhabitants prepare for the worst from Maysak, the best that can be done is to stay alert and on top of all of the information that comes out regarding this storm. NASA has proven to be very helpful with these situations in the past and will continue to be a help in the future for other typhoons that may arise.
