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 widespread sudden floods, coastal inundation, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, prompting the evacuation of millions of residents across the country.
Extensive Destruction and Emergency Operations
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented floodwaters climbing to rooftop levels and homes being swept away by the powerful currents.
Our team saved fourteen people who were trapped on the roof surrounded by water in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. “A father frantically contacted us, reporting the roof of his house was about to be ripped off by the wind. We saved him along with four family members.”
By Monday, authorities announced two fatalities: one from drowning in Catanduanes and a second individual who died when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Typhoon Strength and Projected Path
The super typhoon weakened to a typhoon early Monday while moving over the main island, where the capital is located.
According to the state weather service, the storm’s sustained wind speed decreased from 115 mph to 102 mph, but gusts were still reaching over 170 mph.
The cyclone is projected to lose strength as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service indicated it was still working to assess damage on buildings and roads.
Roughly thousands of shelters were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Previous Storms and Environmental Factors
Fung-wong struck just days after another severe storm, that claimed hundreds of lives and left another 135 missing before moving on to Vietnam, where it killed five.
Search operations for those still missing had to be suspended recently due to safety concerns to emergency personnel.
The climate crisis is making tropical storms stronger and frequent. Fung-wong is the 21st typhoon to impact the nation this year.
Researchers have found that the rate of intense cyclones striking the islands has increased by more than 100% over the last two decades.
Global assessments suggest that intense storms result in approximately US$3.5 million in losses to the country annually.
The nation’s leader issued an emergency declaration on Thursday because of the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected damage from the new storm.
