The Philippines is bracing for a second typhoon, less than a week after a typhoon killed 277 people in Manila. Manila was remarkably heroic in the face of the first typhoon, rapidly organizing rescue teams and donations to people affected by the typhoon. A second one would severely test that resolve.

Typhoon Parma, a category 4 typhoon is currently about 320 miles east of the central Philippine island of Samar on Thursday, said chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz. According to a Reuters article, Cruz stated that Typhoon Parma is turning into a category 5 typhoon and it could be the one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country since November 2006, when Typhoon Durian left death and destruction in the central Philippines. Durian killed at least 920 people – the final death tool is unknown because of mudslides – and left entire villages buried.

The Philippines is being hit hard by the severe weather consequences of climate change; I suspect this kind of risk and damage is the new normal for low-lying islands.

(Photo of destruction from Typhoon Durian. Image credit: rojen_ying1)