Super Typhoon Fung-wong has killed two people and forced more than a million to evacuate as it batters the Philippines with 115mph winds and 10ft storm surges
A fresh typhoon in the Philippines has claimed two lives and prompted the evacuation of over a million people. Super Typhoon Fong-wong hammered sections of the nation today, with the eastern Bicol region bearing the brunt of the direct hit on Sunday morning. Schools have been compelled to suspend classes on Monday whilst nearly 300 flights have been grounded.
The storm has been elevated to super typhoon status, packing sustained winds of approximately 115mph alongside gusts reaching 143mph.
The Philippines’ meteorological service has issued a warning of a “high-risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge with peak heights exceeding 3m [10ft]”.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected calamity from Fung-wong, which is called Uwan in the Philippines.
Fung-wong was spotted by government forecasters before noon on Sunday over coastal waters near the town of Pandan in eastern Catanduanes province, where torrential rain and fog have obscured visibility.
The typhoon is expected to track north-westward and make landfall on the coast of Aurora or Isabela province later on Sunday or early Monday, state forecasters said.
Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 115mph or higher are categorised in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to more extreme weather disturbances.
More than one million people have been evacuated from high-risk villages in north-eastern provinces, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr, who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung-wong in televised remarks Saturday.
He said the storm could affect a vast expanse of the country, including Cebu, the central province hit hardest by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region which is the seat of power and the country’s financial centre.
More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defence said.
Mr Teodoro asked people to follow orders by officials to immediately move away from villages and towns prone to flash floods, landslides and coastal tidal surges. “We need to do this because when it’s already raining or the typhoon has hit and flooding has started, it’s hard to rescue people,” he warned.