SEMINAR: Typhoon

In the Philippines more perennial damage is caused by typhoons and the floods they trigger than by any other natural hazard. Each year an average of around nineteen typhoons form a potential threat to the country. For Filipinos who have experienced repeated typhoon-related disasters, both as family members and as part and parcel of the history of their communities and provinces, the concept of natural hazard has been inextricably interwoven with the fabric of their lives and work. In 1970, within the space of just over a month three typhoons killed more than a thousand people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. Twenty one years later, in November 1991, tropical storm Uring and the accompanying floods left over 5,000 dead. For the Philippines and most of the world, large weather catastrophes like killer storms and major floods remain a painfully real and common part of life. Typhoons have helped destroy and build the livelihoods of peasants, fishers, merchants and traders, as well as the aspirations of colonial and post-colonial administrators, entrepreneurs and meteorologists over four and half centuries (1565-2004). This seminar will explore aspects of a major interdisciplinary thematic work in progress about the impact of the typhoon on Philippine society and history.