The island nation has been hit hard by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, which left a minimum of two fatalities and forced the evacuation of more than 1.4 million individuals.
Authorities reported that the massive storm triggered widespread sudden floods, storm surges, mudslides, and destructive high-velocity gusts, leading to the evacuation of millions of people nationwide.
Widespread Damage and Rescue Efforts
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, emergency crews documented floodwaters climbing to rooftop levels and residences washed out by strong flows.
Our team rescued 14 individuals stranded atop a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” an emergency official stated. “A father also called in panic, saying his home’s roof was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We rescued him and four relatives.”
As of Monday morning, authorities announced two fatalities: a drowning victim on the island and a second individual who died when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Storm Intensity and Projected Path
The super typhoon was downgraded to a typhoon early Monday while moving over the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
Per meteorological authorities, 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 continue weakening as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service indicated efforts were ongoing to assess damage on buildings and roads.
Approximately 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Recent Context and Climate Impact
The typhoon hit shortly following another severe storm, that claimed hundreds of lives and left dozens unaccounted for before moving on to Vietnam, where it killed five.
Search operations for the missing persons were halted recently over risks for rescue workers.
Global warming is making cyclones more intense and frequent. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to impact the nation in 2025.
Researchers report that the rate of super-typhoons striking the islands has increased doubled over the last two decades.
Global assessments indicate that severe weather events cause an average of US$3.5 million in losses to the country annually.
The nation’s leader declared an emergency declaration on Thursday because of the severe damage caused by the prior typhoon and the expected damage from Fung-wong.
