The island nation was severely impacted by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, which left a minimum of two fatalities and displaced more than 1.4 million individuals.
Authorities reported that the massive storm caused extensive sudden floods, coastal inundation, landslides, and destructive high-velocity gusts, prompting the relocation of millions of people nationwide.
Widespread Damage and Emergency Operations
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented rising waters climbing to the tops of houses and homes washed out by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel rescued fourteen people who were trapped on the roof surrounded by water in a flood-prone area,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. One resident frantically contacted us, saying the roof of his house was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We rescued him and four relatives.”
By Monday, authorities confirmed two fatalities: one from drowning on the island and a second individual who died when her house collapsed on Samar island.
Storm Intensity and Projected Path
The intense storm weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning while moving over the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.
Per the state weather service, its maximum winds decreased from 115 mph to 102 mph, though wind bursts were still reaching over 170 mph.
The storm system is expected to lose strength as it moves north toward Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service stated it was still working to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly thousands of shelters were activated to accommodate 92,000 families.
Recent Context and Climate Impact
The typhoon hit shortly following another severe storm, that claimed at least 224 people with another 135 missing before moving on toward Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Searches for the missing persons were halted on Sunday over risks for rescue workers.
The climate crisis is causing cyclones stronger and frequent. Fung-wong is the twenty-first storm to impact the nation this year.
Researchers have found that the rate of intense cyclones striking the islands has risen doubled over the last two decades.
International estimates suggest that intense storms cause an average of US$3.5 million in damage to the country every year.
The Philippine president declared a state of emergency on Thursday due to the severe damage caused by the prior typhoon and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
