Tropical Storm Kai-tak

Tropical Storm Kai-tak, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Urduja, was a weak but deadly late-season tropical cyclone that affected the Philippines during mid-December 2017. The twenty-sixth named storm of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season, Kai-tak developed as a tropical depression near Palau on December 11. It gradually intensified into a tropical storm on December 14. Kai-tak made landfall in Samar on December 16 and traversed the Philippine Islands before continuing west-southwestward and dissipating on December 23 near Malaysia.

As the storm approached the Philippines, PAGASA issued storm warnings to Eastern Visayas and other regions. Families were evacuated to shelters and schools as residents were advised to take caution. Local governments opened shelters, monitored the storm, and suspended classes. After crossing the Philippines, the storm progressed over the South China Sea and later affected Brunei and Malaysia. The system caused significant damage due to its slow motion in the Philippines, particularly in Eastern Visayas. Ports were disrupted, causing tourists to be stranded. Flooding occurred in Tacloban and several other major cities, including southern provinces like Zamboanga. It also generated heavy flooding in Brunei and Malaysia, causing one fatality, though it did not make landfall in either country. In the Philippines, the storm produced 83 deaths and US$74.3 million in damage. Severe flooding and landslides led to extensive rescue and relief operations. Owing to its impacts, both of the names Kai-tak and Urduja were retired.