The Philippines was severely impacted by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, which left at least two people dead and forced the evacuation of over a million residents.
Authorities reported that the powerful weather system caused extensive flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and destructive gale-force winds, leading to the relocation of 1.4 million residents across the country.
Widespread Damage and Rescue Efforts
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented rising waters climbing to the tops of houses and residences being swept away by strong flows.
“Our personnel saved 14 individuals stranded on the roof engulfed in flood in a flood-prone area,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. “A father also called in panic, saying the roof of his house was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We saved him along with four family members.”
By Monday, officials announced two fatalities: one from drowning in Catanduanes and a second individual who died when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Storm Intensity and Forecast
The super typhoon weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
Per meteorological authorities, its maximum winds dropped from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, though wind bursts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is expected to continue weakening as it moves north toward Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service indicated it was still working to evaluate destruction to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres have been opened to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Recent Context and Environmental Factors
Fung-wong struck shortly following Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed hundreds of lives with another 135 missing before moving on to Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Searches for those still missing were halted recently due to safety concerns to emergency personnel.
Global warming is causing tropical storms stronger and frequent. Fung-wong is the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.
Researchers have found that the frequency of super-typhoons striking the islands has increased doubled in the past twenty years.
Global assessments suggest that intense storms cause an average of millions in dollars in losses to the country every year.
The Philippine president issued an emergency declaration on Thursday because of the severe damage from the prior typhoon and the expected damage from the new storm.
