Old video falsely shared online as 'footage of Typhoon Rai hitting the Philippines in 2021'

This article is more than one year old.
Published on December 17, 2021 at 09:53
Updated on December 17, 2021 at 09:59
2 min read
By AFP Philippines

A video has been viewed thousands of times in multiple social media posts that claim it shows Typhoon Rai -- the strongest to hit the Philippines this year -- wreaking havoc in the central province of Southern Leyte. The posts circulated online as the typhoon tore across the archipelago, leaving at least one person dead. But the clip has been shared in a false context: it has appeared in news reports since November 2020 during Typhoon Goni, which destroyed tens of thousands of homes and killed at least 20 people.

The video -- filmed from inside a building -- was posted here on Facebook on December 16, 2021.

The 21-second clip shows heavy winds and rain lashing a street lined with trees.

It has been viewed more than 190,000 times.

Screenshot of false post taken on December 17, 2021

The video's Tagalog-language caption translates as: "Typhoon Odette / Happening now in Maasin, Southern Leyte / Let's all be safe!"

"Odette" is the name used for Typhoon Rai in the Philippines.

The typhoon uprooted trees, toppled power lines and flooded villages as it barrelled across the archipelago, leaving at least one person dead. AFP reported on the typhoon here.

Southern Leyte is a province in the central Philippines.

Identical videos were also shared here, here and here on Facebook with a similar claim.

However, the video shows a different typhoon hitting the Philippines in 2020

A reverse image search of keyframes from the video using InVID-WeVerify, a digital verification tool, followed by keyword searches on Google, found the video previously appeared in news reports about Typhoon Goni in 2020.

Philippine news organisation Philstar.com uploaded the video on Facebook here on November 1, 2020.

Philstar.com's report states in part: "The situation of #RollyPH in Buhi, Camarines Sur, where Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal #4 has been raised as of 11 a.m."

"Rolly" was the name used for Typhoon Goni in the Philippines.

It was the most powerful typhoon to hit the country in 2020, destroying tens of thousands of homes and killing at least 20 people, AFP reported here.

Below is a screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (L) and the video published by Philstar.com in 2020 (R):

Philippine newspaper Manila Standard published the video in this report about Typhoon Goni posted on Facebook on November 1, 2020.

An identical video was posted on TikTok on the same day alongside the hashtag #TyphoonRolly.

Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.

E-mail