The island nation has been hit hard by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, resulting in a minimum of two fatalities and displaced over a million residents.
Officials reported that the powerful weather system caused widespread flash flooding, coastal inundation, mudslides, and destructive gale-force winds, leading to the evacuation of 1.4 million people nationwide.
Extensive Destruction and Emergency Operations
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, emergency crews documented floodwaters reaching rooftop levels and homes washed out by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel rescued fourteen people stranded atop a house surrounded by water in a flood-prone area,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. “A father also called in panic, reporting the roof of his house was at risk of tearing away by the wind. We rescued him and four relatives.”
By Monday, authorities confirmed at least two deaths: one from drowning on the island and another killed when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Typhoon Strength and Forecast
The intense storm was downgraded to a severe tropical storm on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
Per the state weather service, the storm’s sustained wind speed decreased from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, though wind bursts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is projected to lose strength as it moves north toward Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The country’s emergency management agency indicated it was still working to evaluate destruction to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly thousands of shelters were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Recent Context and Environmental Factors
Fung-wong struck shortly following another severe storm, that claimed hundreds of lives with another 135 missing before moving on to Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for those still missing had to be suspended recently over risks for rescue workers.
The climate crisis is making tropical storms stronger and frequent. Fung-wong is the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.
Scientists have found that the frequency of intense cyclones striking the islands has increased by more than 100% in the past twenty years.
Global assessments suggest that intense storms result in an average of millions in dollars in losses for the Philippines annually.
The Philippine president issued a state of emergency last week due to the severe damage from the prior typhoon and the expected damage from the new storm.
