The island nation was severely impacted by Super Typhoon Fung-wong, which left at least two people dead and forced the evacuation of more than 1.4 million individuals.
Authorities stated that the massive storm caused widespread flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and fierce gale-force winds, leading to the relocation of millions of people across the country.
Widespread Destruction and Emergency Operations
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, disaster response teams recorded floodwaters climbing to rooftop levels and homes being swept away by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel rescued fourteen people stranded on the roof surrounded by water in a low-lying neighbourhood,” a disaster-mitigation officer stated. “A father also called in panic, saying his home’s roof was about to be ripped off due to the storm. We saved him along with four family members.”
By Monday, officials confirmed at least two deaths: one from drowning in Catanduanes and another who died when her house collapsed on Samar island.
Typhoon Strength and Forecast
The intense storm was downgraded to a severe tropical storm on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
According to the state weather service, its maximum winds dropped from 115 mph to 102 mph, but gusts peaked at more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is projected to lose strength as it moves north toward Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service stated efforts were ongoing to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Approximately 6,000 evacuation centres were activated to temporarily house 92,000 families.
Previous Storms and Environmental Factors
The typhoon hit shortly following Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed hundreds of lives and left another 135 missing prior to advancing toward Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for the missing persons were halted on Sunday over risks for rescue workers.
Global warming is making tropical storms more intense and frequent. Fung-wong is the twenty-first storm to hit the Philippines in 2025.
Researchers have found that the rate of super-typhoons hitting the Philippines has increased doubled in the past twenty years.
International estimates suggest that intense storms cause approximately millions in dollars in losses to the country annually.
The nation’s leader issued an emergency declaration last week because of the extensive devastation from Kalmaegi and the expected damage from the new storm.
