earning the local name Bebeng. It executed a small loop to the east of Mindanao before it traveled to the northwest. It exited the Area of Responsibility as a tropical storm before transitioning to an extratropical storm, southwest of Minami-Tori-shima. The extratropical storm weakened and dissipated on March 21, to the south-southeast of Japan. Typhoon Vera (Karing) Typhoon Wanda (Diding) On April 23 Tropical Storm Wanda began its life to the east of the Philippines. It tracked over the archipelago, and emerged into the South China Sea on the 25th. It turned to the northwest, and became a typhoon on May 1 just off the coast of South Vietnam. The westerlies brought Wanda to the north and northeast, where it weakened until dissipating on the 4th near Hainan Island. The storm caused 56 deaths (with 14 missing) and $700,000 in damage (1971 USD) from the heavy flooding across the Philippines. While Wanda brushed the coast of Vietnam, the United States Army grounded most aircraft in northern areas and skirmishes related to the Vietnam War temporarily decreased until the storm passed by. In Quảng Ngãi Province, 23 people were killed. Typhoon Amy According to the JTWC best track, Amy was first noted as a tropical depression early on April 29. Amy reached tropical storm status shortly afterwards, and became a typhoon by early on May 1. The cyclone then rapidly intensified into a Category 5 super typhoon with 1-minute sustained winds of 280 km/h (175 mph) on May 2, with the JMA estimating a minimum central pressure of 890 mb (hPa; 26.28 inHg), although the JTWC estimated a slightly higher pressure of 895 mbar (hPa; 26.43 inHg), while noting a compact eye 10 nautical miles across. Although Amy weakened to a Category 4 super typhoon on May 3, it regained Category 5 intensity later that day, with 1-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and a central pressure of 900 mb (hPa; 26.58 inHg). The storm began to weaken by May 4 and was last noted as producing tropical-storm force winds on May 7, after which Amy was absorbed by a frontal system. Amy was one of the strongest typhoons recorded in May. On Truk Atoll, now known as Chuuk Atoll, one person was killed after a coconut tree fell on him. On May 18, the Federated States of Micronesia was declared a disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management