At least two people have died and more than a million others have been displaced as Super Typhoon Fung-Wong battered the central and eastern Philippines, unleashing torrential rains, destructive winds, and widespread power outages. The storm, one of the most powerful to hit the country this year, made landfall on Sunday afternoon in Dinalungan, Aurora Province, before sweeping across Luzon, the country’s largest and most populous island.
According to local authorities, one person drowned in Catanduanes, while another was found buried under the debris of a collapsed home in Catbalogan City, Samar Province. Firefighters and rescue teams worked through the night to retrieve the bodies, while hundreds of others were evacuated from low-lying and landslide-prone areas.
The Philippine state weather bureau (PAGASA) reported that the eye of Fung-Wong made landfall at 1310 GMT and continues to move northwest, bringing with it sustained winds exceeding 200 km/h and heavy rainfall that has triggered flash floods and mudslides across the Bicol and Eastern Visayas regions. Power has been cut off in multiple provinces, while airports in Bicol, Sangley (Metro Manila), and parts of Eastern Luzon have been shut down due to strong winds and low visibility.
Authorities have raised the highest and second-highest storm warning levels across several provinces, warning residents of possible storm surges, coastal flooding, and overflowing rivers. The government has suspended schools and office work in affected areas, while emergency shelters, mainly public schools and gymnasiums, are being used to house evacuees.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro urged people to heed evacuation orders to avoid last-minute rescue missions that could endanger emergency responders. “We ask that people evacuate early 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 televised address.
As of Sunday evening, over one million residents had fled coastal and mountainous communities for higher ground. The Philippine military has deployed around 2,000 troops to assist in evacuation and relief operations, while the Coast Guard remains on standby for potential maritime rescues.
In the province of Cagayan, heavy flooding has submerged entire villages, and rescuers in inflatable boats are working to ferry stranded families to safety. In Northern Luzon, dozens of residents have taken shelter in basketball courts converted into evacuation centers. “We were told the typhoon was very strong, so we left early,” said Christopher Sanchez, a resident who fled his riverside home with his wife and two children. “Every time there’s a storm, the water rises above our heads. We just hope our home survives when we return.”
Meteorologists at PAGASA warned that Fung-Wong will continue to move northwest through Monday before veering north by Tuesday, maintaining its intensity as a typhoon. By Wednesday, the system is forecast to approach the Taiwan Strait, where it is expected to weaken before making landfall in western Taiwan on Thursday. The storm is then projected to dissipate over the Ryukyu Islands as a weak tropical system later in the week.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered all government agencies to prioritize rescue and rehabilitation efforts, pledging financial assistance to provinces severely hit by the storm. The Department of Social Welfare and Development has started distributing food packs and emergency relief supplies in evacuation centers across Aurora, Bicol, and Samar regions.
As the Philippines braces for more intense weather in the coming days, Fung-Wong has once again underscored the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones, with its geography placing it squarely in the path of around 20 typhoons each year. Authorities fear the number of casualties may rise as communication lines remain down in several hard-hit areas and search-and-rescue operations continue in remote communities cut off by landslides.
