More than 1 million people were moved to safer areas as Typhoon Fung-wong tore across the eastern Philippines, officials said, becoming the country’s second major storm in days. The system made landfall on the east coast and swept across northern Luzon, the nation’s most populous island, bringing torrential rain and destructive winds.
Authorities reported at least two fatalities ahead of the worst of the storm: one person drowned in Catanduanes province and a 64-year-old woman was found beneath debris after a house collapsed in Catbalogan City. Local rescuers said the woman had returned to her home, possibly to fetch belongings, and was trapped when conditions worsened.
Meteorologists classified Fung-wong as a super-typhoon, with sustained winds of about 115 mph (185 km/h) and gusts up to 140 mph (225 km/h). Forecasters warned the storm could drape a huge band of wind and rain across up to two-thirds of the archipelago — a radius they estimated at roughly 1,118 miles — and predicted at least 200 mm (8 inches) of rain in many areas.
Civil defense officials said around 1.2 million people were pre-emptively evacuated to reduce casualties. The department of defense and local authorities urged strict compliance with evacuation orders; Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro warned that refusing to leave puts both residents and rescue workers at risk.
Fung-wong follows Typhoon Kalmaegi, which struck days earlier and killed at least 224 people while leaving 135 unaccounted for; searches for those missing were halted on safety grounds. This storm was recorded as the 21st significant weather event to hit the Philippines this year, stretching emergency response resources.
The typhoon struck Dinalungan town in Aurora province late Sunday after battering north-eastern provinces from offshore. Residents in Aurora hurried to reinforce homes with steel and timber before nightfall, fearing the added menace of a nighttime landfall. Schools and many government offices across Luzon, including in Manila, were ordered closed and nearly 300 flights were cancelled.
Reports from affected areas described storm surges and extreme flooding. Officials in Catanduanes said some houses were submerged up to their roofs and waves swept over streets. In Virac, eyewitnesses compared the sound of waves hitting seawalls to the ground trembling. Verified video from Guinobatan in Albay showed streets turned into raging torrents.
Rescue teams carried out evacuations in hard-hit provinces while state broadcasters aired scenes of widespread flooding and near-zero visibility amid intense rain and wind. Pope Francis expressed prayers and solidarity with the predominantly Catholic nation, asking God’s comfort for the dead, injured and displaced.
Scientists note that human-driven climate change is intensifying tropical cyclones: warmer oceans can fuel rapid strengthening and a hotter atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and greater flooding risks.
Forecasters predicted Fung-wong would track north of the Philippines, remain a typhoon as it reached coastal waters on Monday morning, then move out to sea and weaken before approaching western Taiwan later in the week. Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to reporting on this developing situation.
