Typhoon Haiyan , called typhoon " Yolanda " in the Philippines , caused catastrophic damage throughout much of the islands of Leyte , where cities and towns were largely destroyed . As of April 17 , the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council ( NDRRMC ) confirmed 6,300 fatalities across the country , 5,877 of those taking place in the Eastern Visayas . The actual death toll remains unclear , being claimed to be at least 10,000 by the victims from Tacloban City , Leyte alone . The total loss of life is estimated to be as low as 2,500 by President Benigno Aquino III . As of November 13 , Red Cross estimated that 22,000 people were missing while approximately 65,500 people were listed as such through Google Person Finder . Google , however , cautioned that this value is not to be read into , as shown during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami when more than 600,000 names were listed in contrast to the final death toll of roughly 20,000
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Effects of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season in the Philippines