SECTION VI
DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF TYPHOONS
The 1959 Typhoon Season will long be remembered as one of the most destructive in history. Of a total of 17 typhoons during the Season, 13 hit heavily populated areas, each leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.
Reports from Okinawa, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippine Islands place the total known dead at approximately 7,570 persons, the number of missing at 1,700, and the number of injured at more than 60,000. Millions of others were left homeless.
The four typhoons which caused the greatest destruction, and the areas most seriously affected were: BILLIE (Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands), GEORGIA (Japan), SARAH (Okinawa, Korea and Japan) and VERA (JAPAN).
Information regarding the damage and loss of life caused by each destructive typhoon is presented in the following paragraphs. It is emphasized that complete, detailed records of the destructive effects of typhoons are not maintained by JTWC. The greater part of the data regarding damage has been obtained from articles which appeared in the "Pacific Stars and Stripes" and in the "Guam Daily News."
The destructive typhoons of 1959 were BILLIE, ELLEN, GEORGIA, IRIS, JOAN, LOUISE, SARAH, VERA, CHARLOTTE, EMMA, FREDA, GILDA and HARRIET.
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