The island nation has been hit hard by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, which left at least two people dead and displaced over a million residents.
Authorities reported that the massive storm triggered widespread flash flooding, storm surges, landslides, and destructive gale-force winds, prompting the evacuation of 1.4 million people nationwide.
Extensive Destruction and Emergency Operations
In Pandan, Catanduanes, one of the worst-hit regions, emergency crews documented rising waters reaching rooftop levels and homes washed out by strong flows.
Our team saved fourteen people stranded on the roof engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighbourhood,” an emergency official stated. One resident frantically contacted us, saying his home’s roof was at risk of tearing away due to the storm. We saved him and four relatives.”
By Monday, authorities announced two fatalities: one from drowning on the island and a second individual killed when her house collapsed on Samar island.
Typhoon Strength and Forecast
The intense storm weakened to a typhoon on Monday morning as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, where the capital is located.
Per meteorological authorities, the storm’s sustained wind speed decreased from 185 km/h to 165 km/h, but gusts were still reaching more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is projected to lose strength as it moves in the direction of Taiwan.
Response and Recovery
The national disaster response service indicated efforts were ongoing to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Roughly thousands of shelters were activated to temporarily house tens of thousands of households.
Recent Context and Climate Impact
The typhoon hit shortly following Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed hundreds of lives with dozens unaccounted for prior to advancing to Vietnam, where it killed five.
Search operations for those still missing had to be suspended on Sunday over risks for rescue workers.
Global warming is making cyclones more intense and frequent. Fung-wong is the twenty-first storm to impact the nation in 2025.
Scientists have found that the frequency of intense cyclones striking the islands has risen doubled over the last two decades.
International estimates suggest that severe weather events result in approximately US$3.5 million in damage for the Philippines every year.
The Philippine president declared an emergency declaration on Thursday due to the severe damage from Kalmaegi and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
