Nearly One Million Evacuated as Super-Typhoon Fung-wong Threatens Philippines
manila, philippines – Authorities have evacuated nearly a million people across the Philippines as Super-Typhoon Fung-wong barrels towards the archipelago, expected to make landfall overnight this Sunday. The approaching storm,boasting winds of up to 230 km/h and a diameter spanning virtually the entire country,comes just a week after the devastating passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi.
As of early Sunday afternoon, 916,863 people had been moved to safety, according to Rafaelito Alejandro, a senior Civil Defense official. Schools and public buildings will be closed Monday across a large portion of the nation, including manila, and approximately 300 flights have been canceled in anticipation of the storm’s impact.
The island of Catanduanes is bracing for the brunt of Fung-wong, with the eye of the cyclone predicted to pass closest to the area. “The waves started to rumble around 7 a.m. When they hit the breakwater, it truly seems like the ground is shaking,” testified Edson Casarino, a 33-year-old resident of Catanduanes. Residents spent Saturday attempting to secure their homes against the anticipated powerful gusts.
Government meteorologist benison estareja warned of widespread flooding,anticipating “rainfall of 200 millimeters or more,” potentially overflowing major watersheds. Flooding already disrupted traffic on the island of Mindanao on Saturday, and some sought shelter in churches in Sorsogon province.
The Philippines is routinely struck by around 20 storms or typhoons annually, disproportionately impacting the country’s poorest regions. This latest threat arrives following Typhoon Kalmaegi, which recently claimed over 224 lives – making it the deadliest typhoon of the year, according to the EM-DAT database. Relief efforts in Cebu province,which bore the brunt of Kalmaegi’s devastation,have been temporarily suspended due to the impending arrival of Fung-wong.
Scientists attribute the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events to human-caused global warming.