The island nation was severely impacted by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, which left a minimum of two fatalities and displaced over a million residents.
Authorities reported that the massive storm triggered widespread flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and destructive high-velocity gusts, leading to the relocation of millions of residents across the country.
Extensive Damage and Emergency Operations
In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, disaster response teams recorded floodwaters reaching the tops of houses and residences being swept away by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel saved 14 individuals who were trapped atop a house engulfed in flood in a flood-prone area,” an emergency official stated. “A father also called in panic, reporting the roof of his house was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We rescued him and four relatives.”
As of Monday morning, officials confirmed two fatalities: one from drowning in Catanduanes and another who died after her home gave way in eastern Samar.
Storm Intensity and Projected Path
The intense storm weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.
Per the state weather service, the storm’s sustained wind speed 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 while heading in the direction of Taiwan.
Relief and Assessment
The national disaster response service stated efforts were ongoing to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly thousands of shelters have been opened to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Recent Context and Environmental Factors
Fung-wong struck shortly following Typhoon Kalmaegi, that claimed hundreds of lives and left dozens unaccounted for before moving on toward Vietnam, where it killed five.
Searches for the missing persons had to be suspended recently due to safety concerns for rescue workers.
Global warming is causing tropical storms stronger and frequent. Fung-wong is the twenty-first storm to hit the Philippines this year.
Researchers report that the frequency of intense cyclones hitting the Philippines has increased by more than 100% in the past twenty years.
Global assessments indicate that severe weather events cause an average of US$3.5 million in losses to the country annually.
The Philippine president issued an emergency declaration on Thursday because of the severe damage caused by the prior typhoon and the expected damage from Fung-wong.