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The Philippines was severely impacted by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and displaced over a million residents.

Authorities reported that the massive storm caused extensive sudden floods, storm surges, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, prompting the evacuation of 1.4 million people across the country.

Extensive Damage and Rescue Efforts

In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented rising waters climbing to the tops of houses and homes washed out by the powerful currents.

“Our personnel rescued 14 individuals stranded atop a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. One resident frantically contacted us, saying the roof of his house was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We rescued him and four relatives.”

By Monday, officials confirmed two fatalities: a drowning victim on the island and a second individual who died when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.

Storm Intensity and Forecast

The super typhoon weakened to a severe tropical storm early Monday as it crossed the main island, where the capital is located.

According to meteorological authorities, the storm’s sustained wind speed dropped from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.

The storm system is projected to continue weakening as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.

Response and Recovery

The national disaster response service stated efforts were ongoing 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 Environmental Factors

Fung-wong struck shortly following another severe storm, that claimed at least 224 people with another 135 missing before moving on toward Vietnam, causing five deaths there.

Searches for the missing persons were halted recently over risks for rescue workers.

Global warming is making cyclones stronger and common. This typhoon marks the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year.

Scientists report that the frequency of intense cyclones hitting the Philippines has increased by more than 100% over the last two decades.

Global assessments indicate that severe weather events cause an average of US$3.5 million in damage for the Philippines annually.

The Philippine president issued a state of emergency last week because of the severe damage caused by the prior typhoon and the expected damage from the new storm.