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More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from eastern and northern regions of the Philippines as the latest storm to hit the country – Fung-wong – intensified on Sunday into a super typhoon before its expected arrival later in the day.
Packing sustained winds of 185km/h and gusts of up to 230km/h, the super typhoon is threatening to unleash torrential rain, destructive winds and storm surges.
Storm alert signals have been raised across large parts of the country, with parts of Eastern Visayas already experiencing power outages. More than 300 domestic and international flights have been cancelled, according to the civil aviation regulator.
Some images shared by the Philippine coast guard in Camarines Sur showed evacuees carrying bags and personal belongings as they transferred from long, narrow passenger boats to waiting trucks during preemptive evacuation operations.
In coastal Aurora province, where Fung-wong is expected to land by late Sunday or early Monday morning, rescuers were going door to door encouraging residents to head for higher ground.
Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to deliver about 200mm or more of rain, which can cause widespread flooding, government meteorologist Benison Estareja told reporters on Saturday.
“It’s also possible that our major river basins will overflow.”
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful because of the climate crisis. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall.
Fung-wong is expected to hit the Philippines only days after the country was battered by typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 204 people and left a trail of destruction before slamming into Vietnam, where it claimed five more lives and devastated coastal communities.
On Saturday, rescue official Myrra Daven told AFP the approaching storm had forced the suspension of search and rescue activities in the province, home to nearly 70% of Kalmaegi’s deaths.
“We were ordered to temporarily stop the search, rescue and retrieval at 3 pm today,” she said.
“We cannot risk the safety of our rescuers. We don’t want them to be the next casualties.”
The government tally in the hard-hit province of 57 missing would probably rise, Daven said.
“We’re expecting this number to increase because there are still areas we cannot penetrate. Some access routes are still blocked by soil and other things,” she said.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
