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The island nation was severely impacted by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, which left at least two people dead and displaced more than 1.4 million individuals.

Authorities stated that the massive storm caused widespread flash flooding, coastal inundation, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, leading to the relocation of millions of residents nationwide.

Extensive Destruction and Emergency Operations

In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented floodwaters reaching rooftop levels and homes washed out by the powerful currents.

Our team rescued fourteen people stranded atop a house surrounded by water in a flood-prone area,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. One resident also called in panic, saying his home’s roof was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We saved him and four relatives.”

As of Monday morning, authorities announced at least two deaths: one from drowning on the island and a second individual killed after her home gave way on Samar island.

Typhoon Strength and Forecast

The super typhoon weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.

Per meteorological authorities, the storm’s sustained wind speed decreased from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, though wind bursts were still reaching over 170 mph.

The storm system is expected to continue weakening while heading in the direction of Taiwan.

Relief and Assessment

The national disaster response service stated it was still working to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.

Roughly 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to temporarily house tens of thousands of households.

Recent Context and Climate Impact

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 on Sunday over risks to emergency personnel.

Global warming is causing cyclones more intense and frequent. This typhoon marks 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.

Global assessments suggest that intense storms cause approximately US$3.5 million in damage for the Philippines annually.

The Philippine president issued an emergency declaration last week due to the severe damage from the prior typhoon and anticipated impacts from Fung-wong.