The island nation has been hit hard by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in a minimum of two fatalities and forced the evacuation of over a million residents.
Officials reported that the powerful weather system triggered widespread sudden floods, storm surges, landslides, and destructive gale-force winds, leading to the evacuation of 1.4 million residents nationwide.
Widespread Destruction and Emergency Operations
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented floodwaters reaching the tops of houses and residences washed out by the powerful currents.
Our team saved 14 individuals who were trapped atop a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. “A father frantically contacted us, saying his home’s roof was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We saved him and four relatives.”
By Monday, officials confirmed two fatalities: a drowning victim on the island and another killed when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Typhoon Strength and Projected Path
The intense storm weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
According to meteorological authorities, the storm’s sustained wind speed decreased from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts peaked at over 170 mph.
The storm system is expected to continue weakening as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Relief and Assessment
The national disaster response service stated efforts were ongoing to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly thousands of shelters have been opened to temporarily house tens of thousands of households.
Recent Context and Environmental Factors
Fung-wong struck shortly following another severe storm, that claimed at least 224 people and left another 135 missing before moving on to Vietnam, where it killed five.
Search operations for those still missing had to be suspended on Sunday due to safety concerns to emergency personnel.
The climate crisis is making cyclones stronger and frequent. This typhoon marks the twenty-first storm to impact the nation this year.
Researchers report that the rate of intense cyclones hitting the Philippines has increased by more than 100% in the past twenty years.
International estimates indicate that severe weather events result in an average of US$3.5 million in losses to the country annually.
The Philippine president declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
