The island nation was severely impacted by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, which left a minimum of two fatalities and forced the evacuation of over a million residents.
Authorities stated that the powerful weather system triggered widespread sudden floods, coastal inundation, mudslides, and destructive gale-force winds, leading to the relocation of 1.4 million people nationwide.
Widespread Damage and Emergency Operations
In the town of Pandan, one of the worst-hit regions, emergency crews recorded floodwaters climbing to rooftop levels and homes being swept away by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel saved fourteen people stranded atop a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” an emergency official explained. “A father frantically contacted us, saying his home’s roof was about to be ripped off by the wind. We rescued him along with four family members.”
As of Monday morning, officials confirmed at least two deaths: one from drowning in Catanduanes and another killed when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Storm Intensity and Projected Path
The intense storm was downgraded to a typhoon early Monday while moving over the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.
Per the state weather service, the storm’s sustained wind speed decreased from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, though wind bursts peaked at more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is projected to continue weakening while heading in the direction of Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service stated it was still working to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Approximately 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Previous Storms and Environmental Factors
The typhoon hit just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed hundreds of lives with dozens unaccounted for prior to advancing to Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for the missing persons were halted recently over risks to emergency personnel.
The climate crisis is making cyclones stronger and frequent. This typhoon marks the twenty-first storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Scientists have found that the rate of super-typhoons hitting the Philippines has increased doubled in the past twenty years.
International estimates indicate that severe weather events cause an average of millions in dollars in damage to the country every year.
The Philippine president issued an emergency declaration last week because of the severe damage from the prior typhoon and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
