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The Philippines was severely impacted by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and forced the evacuation of over a million residents.

Officials stated that the massive storm caused extensive sudden floods, storm surges, mudslides, and fierce gale-force winds, prompting the relocation of millions of residents across the country.

Widespread Damage and Emergency Operations

In Pandan, Catanduanes, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented rising waters reaching rooftop levels and residences washed out by strong flows.

“Our personnel rescued 14 individuals who were trapped atop a house surrounded by water in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer explained. “A father also called in panic, saying the roof of his house was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We rescued him along with four family members.”

By Monday, officials confirmed at least two deaths: a drowning victim in Catanduanes and another killed when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.

Typhoon Strength and Forecast

The intense storm was downgraded to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the main island, where the capital is located.

Per meteorological authorities, its maximum winds dropped from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, though wind bursts peaked at more than 275 km/h.

The storm system is projected to lose strength while heading north toward Taiwan.

Response and Recovery

The country’s emergency management agency indicated efforts were ongoing to assess damage on buildings and roads.

Roughly thousands of shelters have been opened to temporarily house 92,000 families.

Recent Context and Climate Impact

The typhoon hit shortly following another severe storm, which killed hundreds of lives and left another 135 missing prior to advancing 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 making cyclones more intense and frequent. Fung-wong is the twenty-first storm to hit the Philippines this year.

Scientists have found that the rate of super-typhoons hitting the Philippines has risen by more than 100% in the past twenty years.

Global assessments indicate that severe weather events cause an average of millions in dollars in damage to the country annually.

The Philippine president declared a state of emergency last week due to the severe damage from the prior typhoon and the expected damage from Fung-wong.