The island nation has been hit hard by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in a minimum of two fatalities and displaced over a million residents.
Officials stated that the powerful weather system caused widespread flash flooding, coastal inundation, landslides, and destructive high-velocity gusts, leading to the evacuation of millions of people across the country.
Extensive Damage and Emergency Operations
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented rising waters climbing to rooftop levels and homes being swept away by strong flows.
“Our personnel rescued 14 individuals stranded on the roof engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. One resident also called in panic, saying his home’s roof was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We saved him and four relatives.”
By Monday, officials announced two fatalities: a drowning victim in Catanduanes and another killed after her home gave way in eastern Samar.
Storm Intensity and Forecast
The super typhoon was downgraded to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.
According to meteorological authorities, its maximum winds dropped from 115 mph to 102 mph, but gusts peaked at more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is expected to lose strength as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The country’s emergency management agency indicated efforts were ongoing to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Approximately 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to accommodate tens of thousands of households.
Previous Storms and Environmental Factors
The typhoon hit shortly following another severe storm, that claimed at least 224 people with another 135 missing before moving on to Vietnam, where it killed five.
Searches for those still missing had to be suspended recently over risks for rescue workers.
Global warming is causing cyclones stronger and frequent. Fung-wong is the twenty-first storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Scientists have found that the frequency of super-typhoons striking the islands has risen doubled in the past twenty years.
International estimates suggest that intense storms cause an average of US$3.5 million in losses for the Philippines annually.
The nation’s leader issued a state of emergency last week because of the severe damage from Kalmaegi and the expected damage from the new storm.
