A million evacuated, at least 2 killed as Super Typhoon Fung-wong slams into Philippines
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ISABELA, Philippines – At least two people have died in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Fung-wong lashed the central and eastern parts of the country, with heavy rains and strong winds cutting power in large areas of the main island of Luzon.
More than a million people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas across the country.
Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, made landfall in Aurora province in Luzon at 9.10pm, the state forecaster reported.
With a radius spanning nearly the whole of the Philippines and sustained winds of 185kmh, Fung-wong is expected to bring wind and heavy rain to broad swathes of the Philippines, which last week saw more than 220 people killed
Storm alert signals were hoisted across large parts of the country, with Signal No. 5, the highest warning, raised over south-eastern Luzon, including Catanduanes island and coastal areas in Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, while Metro Manila and surrounding areas were under Signal No. 3.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro urged residents in the typhoon’s path to heed evacuation orders, warning that refusing to comply was dangerous and unlawful.
“We ask that people pre-emptively evacuate, so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coast guard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.
Fung-wong – the 21st storm to hit the Philippines in 2025 – threatens to further strain disaster response, as officials continue to assist Kalmaegi survivors and rebuild communities.
The authorities hope to avoid casualties this time, civil defence official Raffy Alejandro told reporters.
The military has redirected around 2,000 troops from field training to focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Aurora province recorded the first known death from Fung-wong.
Rescuer Juniel Tagarino in Catbalogan city said the body of a 64-year-old woman attempting to evacuate was pulled from under debris and fallen trees.
“Last night, the wind was so strong and the rain was heavy. According to her family members, she might have forgotten something and went back inside her house,” Mr Tagarino said, adding her relatives were just 50m away when they realised she was missing.
One person, meanwhile, drowned in Catanduanes.
‘We are scared’
In Isabela province in northern Luzon, dozens of families were sheltering in a basketball court repurposed as an evacuation centre.
“We heard on the news that the typhoon is very strong, so we evacuated early,” said Mr Christopher Sanchez, 50, who fled with his family.
“We left our things on the roofs of our house since, every time there’s a storm, we come here because we live right next to the river,” he said. “In previous storms, the flood waters rose above human height.
“We’re scared,” he added.
“We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids. The whole family is in the evacuation area.”
Stormy conditions prevailed in Isabela, with an overcast sky casting a grey pall over the province as trees swayed violently in the wind, and sheets of rain lashed vehicle windshields, making travel difficult.
Images from the Philippine Coast Guard showed evacuees in Camarines Sur province carrying bags and boarding trucks from narrow passenger boats.
The Eastern Visayas region has reported power outages.
Nearly 400 domestic and international flights have been cancelled, according to the civil aviation regulator.
Catanduanes, a small island the state weather service said could take a “direct hit”, was already being lashed by wind and rain, with storm surges sending waves hurtling over streets and flood waters rising in some areas.
“As we speak, they are feeling the impact of the typhoon, especially in Catanduanes, because the storm’s eye is closest there,” Mr Alejandro, the civil defence official, said at a news briefing.
“The waves started roaring around 7am. When the waves hit the seawall, it felt like the ground was shaking,” Mr Edson Casarino, 33, a resident of Catanduanes’ Virac town, said.
A video showed a church in the town surrounded by flood waters that reached halfway up its entrance.
Flooding was also reported in southern Luzon’s Bicol region, according to Mr Alejandro, who later confirmed the pre-emptive evacuation of nearly 1.2 million people nationwide.
In Guinobatan, a town of about 80,000 in the region’s Albay province, verified video showed streets transformed into a raging torrent of flood waters.
Fung-wong is expected to bring at least 200mm of rain to many parts of the Philippines.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful
A satellite image shows Storm Fung-Wong, which has intensified into a typhoon.
PHOTO: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS
