Villages were submerged and dozens of cities remained without power after Typhoon Hungwon passed through the Philippines on Monday this week, killing at least five people and forcing another million to evacuate. The weather phenomenon that hit the east coast archipelago as a “super typhoon” on Sunday has weakened but is still heading towards Taiwan, and is expected to cause torrential rains in the north and east as the northeast monsoon season intensifies, the Taipei Central Weather Bureau said.
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on Monday announced an extension of the “national state of disaster” he declared last week when Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed at least 224 people, passed through the central Philippines’ islands. Disaster status must be in effect for one year.
Cleanup operations began on Monday this week from the northern province of Cagayan to Catanduanes Island, located more than 1,000 kilometers south. Schools and government offices across mainland Luzon, including the capital Manila, remain closed. More than 1.4 million people nationwide had to evacuate their homes due to the storm.
The death toll from the storm rose after civil defense officials confirmed that five-year-old twins and an elderly man were killed in landslides in two states. The children were sleeping in their home when the landslide occurred. Monsoon rains had already seeped into the soil around the house before Phong Wong arrived. The elderly man died about an hour later in a separate incident.
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The storm’s first casualties occurred the day before in Samar province, further south, which was hit hard by Typhoon Calmaegui a week ago. On Sunday morning, another death was confirmed on Catanduanes Island, where waves from the storm invaded streets and homes.
Severe flooding also occurred in southern Luzon’s Bicol region, with video footage showing streets turning into torrents.
Super Typhoon Fanwon leaves a trail of destruction in the Philippines
Cagayan province’s Civil Defense Secretary Lueri Lapsing told AFP that flash flooding in neighboring Apayao province had caused the Chico River to swell, forcing residents to evacuate to higher ground. Lapusing said the small town of Tuguegarao was “submerged” before the Cagayan River flooded, forcing more than 5,000 people to flee their homes.
In Aurora state, where Fanwong made landfall, rescue worker Jeffrey Paloka said he was still assessing the damage.
“Many houses have been damaged and some roads are impassable due to landslides,” said Parocha from Dipakrao.
Fung Wong is currently heading to Taiwan, where heavy rain is expected to occur in the north and east. Nearly 5,000 people will be evacuated from their homes in three villages in Hualien county, government official Lee Kuantin said.
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The site is near a containment vessel that collapsed in September when 19 people died due to heavy rains caused by Super Typhoon Lagasa.
Scientists warn that human-induced climate change is making storms more powerful. As ocean temperatures rise, cyclones become more intense more quickly, and the warming atmosphere retains more moisture, producing heavier rainfall. (With AFP)
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