Time for Kids: "Typhoon in the Philippines"

A powerful tropical storm in the Philippines leaves thousands dead. Read the full story here.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. massive
    imposing in scale or scope or degree or power
    The Philippines is reeling from a massive typhoon that hit its eastern seaboard on Friday.
  2. typhoon
    a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific or Indian oceans
    A typhoon is a tropical storm with winds stronger than 74 miles per hour.
  3. devastation
    the state of being decayed or destroyed
    “The devastation is… I don’t have words for it,” said Philippines Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.
  4. horrific
    grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
    “It’s really horrific.
  5. tragedy
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
    "It’s a great human tragedy.”
  6. survivor
    one who outlives another
    Survivors walk among debris and fallen electric posts in Tacloban on November 10.
  7. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
    Survivors walk among debris and fallen electric posts in Tacloban on November 10.
  8. tropical
    relating to part of the Earth's surface with hot climate
    A typhoon is a tropical storm with winds stronger than 74 miles per hour.
  9. hurricane
    a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds
    It is the same as a hurricane, but scientists call the storms different names depending on where they occur.
  10. prime
    first in rank or degree
    Its warm ocean waters make it a prime location for them to form.
  11. ravaged
    having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence
    But no storm has ravaged the country like Haiyan.
  12. central
    in or near an inner area
    Haiyan barreled across the central islands of the Philippines with a storm surge of 20 feet and winds reaching 200 miles per hour.
  13. surge
    a large sea wave
    Haiyan barreled across the central islands of the Philippines with a storm surge of 20 feet and winds reaching 200 miles per hour.
  14. province
    the territory in an administrative district of a nation
    Among the areas hardest hit is the eastern province of Leyte.
  15. welfare
    something that aids or promotes well-being
    The Department of Social Welfare and Development says 9.5 million people have been affected by Haiyan.
  16. shelter
    temporary housing for homeless or displaced persons
    “The U.S. government is organizing emergency shipments of critically needed material to provide shelter to the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos driven from their homes by this unprecedented typhoon,” said Secretary of State John Kerry.
  17. unprecedented
    novel; having no earlier occurrence
    “The U.S. government is organizing emergency shipments of critically needed material to provide shelter to the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos driven from their homes by this unprecedented typhoon,” said Secretary of State John Kerry.
  18. restore
    return to its original or usable and functioning condition
    Though aid has arrived in the Philippines, the work to restore the country has only just begun.
Created on Mon Nov 25 17:23:00 EST 2013 (updated Mon Nov 25 17:40:28 EST 2013)

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