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.
Authorities reported that the powerful weather system triggered widespread flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, leading to the evacuation of millions of residents nationwide.
Extensive Damage and Emergency Operations
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, emergency crews documented floodwaters reaching the tops of houses and homes washed out by the powerful currents.
Our team rescued 14 individuals who were trapped on the roof engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. One resident frantically contacted us, reporting 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, authorities confirmed two fatalities: a drowning victim in Catanduanes and another who died when her house collapsed on Samar island.
Storm Intensity and Forecast
The intense storm was downgraded to a severe tropical storm on Monday morning while moving over the main island, home to the national capital.
Per meteorological authorities, its maximum winds dropped from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts were still reaching over 170 mph.
The storm system is expected to continue weakening while heading in the direction of Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service stated efforts were ongoing to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to accommodate tens of thousands of households.
Recent Context and Climate Impact
The typhoon hit just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed at least 224 people with another 135 missing prior to advancing to Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for those still missing had to be suspended on Sunday due to safety concerns to emergency personnel.
The climate crisis is making tropical storms stronger and frequent. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.
Researchers have found that the rate of super-typhoons hitting the Philippines has risen by more than 100% in the past twenty years.
International estimates indicate that intense storms cause an average of US$3.5 million in losses for the Philippines every year.
The Philippine president declared a state of emergency last week because of the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected damage from Fung-wong.
