The Philippines has been hit hard by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and displaced over a million residents.
Officials reported that the powerful weather system triggered extensive sudden floods, storm surges, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, prompting the evacuation of millions of residents across the country.
Extensive Destruction and Rescue Efforts
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, disaster response teams recorded floodwaters reaching the tops of houses and residences washed out by strong flows.
Our team saved fourteen people who were trapped atop a house surrounded by water in a flood-prone area,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. “A father also called in panic, saying the roof of his house was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We saved him along with four family members.”
By Monday, officials confirmed at least two deaths: one from drowning on the island and a second individual who died when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
Typhoon Strength and Forecast
The super typhoon was downgraded to a severe tropical storm on Monday morning while moving over the main island, where the capital is located.
According to the state weather service, its maximum winds decreased from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is expected to lose strength as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Relief and Assessment
The country’s emergency management agency indicated it was still working to assess damage on buildings and roads.
Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to accommodate tens of thousands of households.
Previous Storms and Environmental Factors
The typhoon hit shortly following another severe storm, which killed hundreds of lives with dozens unaccounted for prior to advancing to Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for the missing persons were halted recently due to safety concerns for rescue workers.
The climate crisis is making tropical storms stronger and frequent. This typhoon marks the twenty-first storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Scientists have found that the rate of super-typhoons striking the islands has increased doubled in the past twenty years.
International estimates suggest that severe weather events result in approximately millions in dollars in losses for the Philippines annually.
The Philippine president declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the extensive devastation from Kalmaegi and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
