ISABELA: Super Typhoon Fung-Wong slammed into the Philippines on Sunday, leaving two people dead and forcing the evacuation of nearly one million residents as one of the strongest storms of the year swept across the country.
According to weather agency PAGASA, the typhoon made landfall over northern Luzon, bringing intense rainfall, powerful sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph), and gusts reaching 230 kph (140 mph). Fung-Wong is the 21st tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, striking just weeks after Typhoon Kalmaegi claimed 224 lives in the Philippines and five in Vietnam.
Many residents sought safety early. Christopher Sanchez, 50, who took shelter with his family on a basketball court in Isabela province, said they moved their belongings to the roof before leaving their home. “We’re afraid. We’re here with our children and grandchildren,” he added, as families gathered in a sports hall filled with tents and evacuees.
Fatalities and Impact
Authorities reported two deaths — one by drowning and another after being trapped under storm debris — in the hardest-hit regions of Luzon and Eastern Visayas.
The typhoon is forecast to gradually weaken as it continues inland.
Pope Leo expressed solidarity with the predominantly Catholic nation, offering prayers for the victims, the injured, and displaced families.
In Aurora province, where the storm first hit, power outages were reported, though telecommunications remained operational, civil defense official Cheng Quizon told DZBB radio. Several airports, including Sangley Airport near Manila and Bicol Airport in southern Luzon, halted operations due to the storm.
PAGASA said Fung-Wong will track northward and exit toward the coastal waters by Monday morning, before moving out to sea and weakening further as it approaches western Taiwan on Thursday
#TyphoonFungWong #PhilippinesStorm #PhilippineWeather #NaturalDisaster #StormUpdate #TyphoonAlert
