The Philippines has been hit hard by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, which left a minimum of two fatalities and forced the evacuation of over a million residents.
Officials reported that the massive storm triggered extensive flash flooding, coastal inundation, landslides, and fierce high-velocity gusts, prompting the evacuation of 1.4 million residents across the country.
Widespread Damage and Rescue Efforts
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, emergency crews recorded floodwaters reaching the tops of houses and residences being swept away by the powerful currents.
Our team rescued fourteen people stranded atop a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. “A father also called in panic, saying his home’s roof was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We rescued him and four relatives.”
As of Monday morning, authorities announced two fatalities: a drowning victim in Catanduanes and another who died when her house collapsed on Samar island.
Typhoon Strength and Projected Path
The super typhoon weakened to a severe tropical storm on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.
Per the state weather service, the storm’s sustained wind speed dropped from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.
The cyclone is expected to continue weakening as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Relief and Assessment
The national disaster response service indicated it was still working to evaluate destruction on buildings and roads.
Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Recent Context and Climate Impact
Fung-wong struck 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 those still missing were halted on Sunday over risks to emergency personnel.
Global warming is making cyclones more intense and frequent. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.
Scientists have found that the frequency of intense cyclones striking the islands has increased doubled over the last two decades.
Global assessments suggest that intense storms cause an average of US$3.5 million in losses for the Philippines every year.
The Philippine president declared an emergency declaration on Thursday because of the severe damage caused by Kalmaegi and anticipated impacts from Fung-wong.
