The Philippines has been hit hard by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and displaced over a million residents.
Authorities reported that the powerful weather system triggered extensive sudden floods, storm surges, mudslides, and destructive gale-force winds, leading to the relocation of millions of people nationwide.
Extensive Destruction and Emergency Operations
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, emergency crews recorded rising waters climbing to the tops of houses and residences washed out by strong flows.
“Our personnel rescued fourteen people who were trapped atop a house engulfed in flood in a flood-prone area,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. “A father frantically contacted us, saying his home’s roof was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We saved him and four relatives.”
By Monday, authorities confirmed at least two deaths: a drowning victim on the island and a second individual killed when her house collapsed on Samar island.
Typhoon Strength and Forecast
The intense storm weakened to a severe tropical storm on Monday morning while moving over the main island, where the capital is located.
Per the state weather service, the storm’s sustained wind speed dropped from 115 mph to 102 mph, but gusts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.
The cyclone is expected to lose strength as it moves north toward Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service indicated it was still working to assess damage on buildings and roads.
Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres have been opened to accommodate tens of thousands of households.
Recent Context 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 toward Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for those still missing had to be suspended recently due to safety concerns for rescue workers.
The climate crisis is causing tropical storms stronger and common. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.
Researchers report that the rate of super-typhoons hitting the Philippines has increased by more than 100% over the last two decades.
International estimates suggest that intense storms result in an average of US$3.5 million in losses for the Philippines annually.
The Philippine president declared an emergency declaration last week due to the severe damage from the prior typhoon and anticipated impacts from Fung-wong.
