The island nation has been hit hard by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and forced the evacuation of more than 1.4 million individuals.
Authorities reported that the powerful weather system triggered extensive flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, leading to the evacuation of millions of people nationwide.
Extensive Destruction and Emergency Operations
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, emergency crews recorded floodwaters climbing to rooftop levels and residences being swept away by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel rescued fourteen people who were trapped on the roof surrounded by water in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. One resident frantically contacted us, saying the roof of his house was at risk of tearing away by the wind. We rescued him along with four family members.”
By Monday, officials confirmed at least two deaths: a drowning victim in Catanduanes and a second individual killed when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Storm Intensity and Projected Path
The super typhoon weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning while moving over the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
Per the state weather service, its maximum winds dropped from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts were still reaching over 170 mph.
The storm system is projected to lose strength while heading north toward Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service stated it was still working to evaluate destruction on buildings and roads.
Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Previous Storms and Environmental Factors
Fung-wong struck just days after another severe storm, which killed at least 224 people with dozens unaccounted for before moving on to Vietnam, where it killed five.
Search operations for the missing persons had to be suspended recently over risks to emergency personnel.
Global warming is causing tropical storms more intense and common. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to impact the nation this year.
Researchers have found that the rate of super-typhoons striking the islands has risen doubled in the past twenty years.
International estimates suggest that intense storms cause an average of millions in dollars in losses for the Philippines annually.
The nation’s leader issued an emergency declaration on Thursday because of the severe damage from Kalmaegi and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
