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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/09/more-than-100000-evacuated-in-the-philippines-as-fung-wong-intensifies-into-super-typhoonMore than 1 million people have been evacuated and at least two people killed as flood waters rose in the Philippines before Typhoon Fung-wong’s expected landfall on the east coast.
The super-typhoon is expected to bring wind and heavy rain to large parts of the archipelago. It comes days after Typhoon Kalmaegi hit the country, killing at least 224 people and leaving another 135 missing. Searches for those still missing had to be suspended on Sunday due to safety concerns for rescue workers.
At least two deaths from Typhoon Fung-wong were recorded on Sunday. The civil defence office reported that one person drowned in Catanduanes, and a woman had been trapped by a collapsed home in Catbalogan City. Juniel Tagarino, a rescuer in Catbalogan City, said the body of the 64-year-old woman, who had been trying to evacuate, had been pulled from under debris and fallen trees.
“Last night, the wind was so strong and the rain was heavy … According to her family members, she might have forgotten something and went back inside her house,” Tagarino said.
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The super typhoon, known locally as Uwan, is expected to make landfall on Sunday night. Heavy rains, sustained winds of 185km/h (115mph) and gusts of up to 230km/h were already battering Luzon, the Philippines’ main island, on Sunday evening. More than 1.2 million people have been pre-emptively evacuated across the country, Rafaelito Alejandro, a civil defence deputy administrator, told a news briefing.
In Aurora province, where the eye of the storm is expected to make landfall, Aries Ora, 34, a government worker, said the rain was still light as he boarded up his home in the town of Dipaculao with steel sheets and wooden boards.
“What really scares us is that the expected landfall is at night,” he said.
“Unlike previous typhoons, we won’t be able to clearly see the movement of the wind and what’s happening around us.”
Schools and government offices have been ordered to close on Monday across Luzon, including the capital, Manila, where nearly 300 flights have been cancelled.
Gilberto Teodoro, the defence secretary, urged people in the storm’s path to obey evacuation orders, saying to not comply was dangerous and unlawful.
“We ask that people pre-emptively evacuate 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 coastguard personnel at risk,” he said.
Earlier on Sunday, Catanduanes, a small island that the state weather service said could take a “direct hit”, was already being lashed by wind and rain, with storm surges sending waves hurtling over streets and flood waters rising in some areas.
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Alejandro said: “As we speak they are feeling the impact of the typhoon, especially in Catanduanes, because the storm’s eye is closest there.”
Edson Casarino, 33, who lives in the town of Virac in Catanduanes, said: “The waves started roaring around 7am. When the waves hit the seawall, it felt like the ground was shaking.”
Video from officials in Catanduanes, shared by the government broadcaster, showed houses submerged up to the roofs.
In Guinobatan, a town of about 80,000 in the region’s Albay province, verified video showed streets transformed into raging torrents.
Typhoon Fung-wong is expected to bring at least 200mm (8in) of rain to many parts of the country, according to government meteorologists. It is the 21st significant storm to hit the Philippines this year, straining disaster response efforts across the country.
Scientists have said storms are becoming more powerful due to the human-driven climate crisis. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall.