Philippines evacuates one million, woman dead as super typhoon nears
More than a million people were evacuated and at least one person died as floodwaters rose in the Philippines on Sunday, when Typhoon Fung-wong was expected to reach the east coast.
The super typhoon, which comes just days after another storm ravaged the country, will hit the state of Aurora between 8pm and 11pm, state weather forecaster Charmagne Varilla told AFP.
Fung-wong, which has a radius that covers almost the entire Philippines, is expected to bring wind and heavy rain to large parts of the archipelagic country, where more than 220 people died last week due to Typhoon Kalmaegi.
On Sunday, one of the provinces in the central Philippines already affected by the storm recorded its first known death due to Typhoon Fung-wong.
Rescuer Juniel Tagarino in Catbalogan City told AFP that the body of a 64-year-old woman who was trying to evacuate was pulled from under debris and fallen trees.
“Last night the wind was very strong and the rain was heavy… According to family members, he may have forgotten something and returned home,” Tagarino said. Tagarino said, adding that his relatives were only 50 meters away when they realized he was missing.
In Aurora, where the storm’s direction is expected to drop, 34-year-old government worker Aries Ora told AFP the rain was still light as he covered his home in the town of Dipaculao with steel sheets and wooden planks.
“What really scares us is that the expected landing is at night,” he said.
“Unlike previous typhoons, we will not be able to clearly see the movement of the wind and what is happening around us.”
Schools and government offices were ordered closed on Monday on the main island of Luzon, including the capital Manila, where nearly 300 flights were canceled.
-‘The ground was shaking’-
By early Sunday, Catanduanes, a small island that the state weather service said could take a “direct hit,” was already being battered by wind and rain, with storm surges sending waves into the streets and floodwaters rising in some areas.
“As we speak, they are feeling the impact of the typhoon, especially in Catanduanes because the eye of the storm is closest there,” deputy director of civil defense Rafaelito Alejandro said at a news briefing.
“The waves started roaring around 7:00 in the morning. When the waves hit the sea wall, it felt like the ground was shaking,” Edson Casarino, 33, who lives in the town of Virac in Catanduanes, told AFP.
The video, verified by AFP, showed a church in the town surrounded by floodwaters, reaching halfway up its entrance.
Flooding was also reported in the Bicol region of southern Luzon, and preemptive evacuations of approximately 1.2 million people were later confirmed nationwide, according to Alejandro.
In Guinobatan, a town of about 80,000 in the region’s Albay province, verified video showed streets engulfed in a raging floodwaters.
Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to bring at least 200 millimeters (eight inches) of rain to many parts of the country, according to government meteorologists.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming stronger due to human-caused climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen quickly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which means more precipitation.
– ‘Taping roofs’ –
On Saturday, the Catanduans hurried to prepare for the attack; Residents tied their homes with ropes and put weights on their roofs.
“They decided to do our tradition of tying the roofs with big ropes and securing them to the ground so they don’t get blown away by the wind,” state rescue official Roberto Monterola told AFP.
In Sorsogon, a city in southern Luzon, some took refuge in the church.
Just days ago, Typhoon Kalmaegi sent floodwaters through towns and cities on the islands of Cebu and Negros, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and huge shipping containers.
The deadliest typhoon of 2025, according to disaster database EM-DAT, left at least 224 people dead and 109 missing, according to government figures updated Sunday morning.
Search and rescue efforts in Cebu were suspended on Saturday due to safety concerns due to the approaching super typhoon.
pam-cwl/mtp
