Myanmar Cyclone

The cyclone in Myanmar (Southeast Asia) is absolutely devastating. Over 20,000 have been killed and over 40,000 people are still missing. What a tragic natural disaster. Just awful. My heart goes out to all of those affected by this deadly event.

Call me naive, but I wasn't entirely sure of the differences between a cyclone, hurricane and typhoon. I knew they all deal with fast winds and water and what not, but wasn't sure of what sets these disasters apart. So I Googled it. I love Google.

In case anyone is interested....

The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regionally specific names for a strong "tropical cyclone".

Once the tropical cyclone reaches winds of at least 39 mph, they are typically called a "tropical storm" and assigned a name. If winds reach 74 mph, then they are called (depending on the region in which they occur):

-"hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
-"typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)
-"severe tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E)
-"severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
-"tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)

Now, you'll totally get that answer right if you're ever asked on Jeopardy.

If you're interested in helping those affected by the Myanmar cyclone, I found a couple of good sites to check out...

World Vision
Red Cross
International Rescue Committee (IRC)