Typhoon Fung-wong kills at least 6 people in the Philippines and continues its path towards Taiwan

Manila, Philippines — Typhoon Fung-wong hit the northwest Philippines on Monday after causing flooding and landslides, knocking out power to entire provinces, killing at least six people and displacing more than 1.4 million people.

Fung-wong struck the northern Philippines while the country was still dealing with the devastation caused by Typhoon Kalmaegiwhich left at least 224 dead in the central provinces on Tuesday before hitting Vietnam, where at least five died.

Fung-wong is on a more northerly trajectory and is expected to head towards Taiwan next.

Fung-wong crashed into the ground in the northeastern Philippine province of Aurora on Sunday night as a super typhoon with sustained winds of up to 115 mph and gusts of up to 143 mph.

The 1,100-mile-wide storm weakened as it swept across northern mountainous provinces and agricultural plains overnight before moving away from La Union province toward the South China Sea, according to state forecasters.

One person drowned in flash floods in the eastern province of Catanduanes, and another died in the town of Catbalogan, in the eastern province of Samar, when her house collapsed on her, authorities said.

In the northern province of Nueva Vizcaya, three children were killed in two separate landslides in the towns of Kayapa and Kasibu and four others were injured, police told The News. According to authorities, an elderly person was killed in a landslide in Barlig, a town in the north of the mountainous province.

The Civil Defense Office said it has not received any reports of missing persons during the Fung-wong attack.

More than 1.4 million people moved to emergency shelters or relatives’ homes before the typhoon made landfall, and about 318,000 remained in evacuation centers as of Monday.

Strong winds and rain flooded at least 132 northern villages, including one where some residents were trapped on their roofs as waters rose rapidly. About 1,000 houses were damaged, Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV of the Civil Defense Office and other officials said, adding that roads blocked by the landslides would be cleared as the weather improved on Monday.

“Although the typhoon has passed, its rains still pose a danger in certain areas” of northern Luzon, including metropolitan Manila,” Alejandro said. “Today we will undertake rescue, relief and disaster response operations.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected damage from Fung-wong, also called Uwan in the Philippines.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 115 mph or greater are classified in the Philippines as super typhoons to underscore the urgency associated with more extreme weather shocks.

The Philippines has not asked for international help following the devastation caused by Kalmaegi, but Teodoro said the United States, the country’s former treaty ally, and Japan were willing to provide assistance.

Authorities announced that schools and most government offices would remain closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. More than 325 domestic and 61 international flights were canceled over the weekend and Monday, and more than 6,600 travelers and cargo workers were stranded in ports after the coast guard banned ships from venturing into rough seas.

The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, but scientists have repeatedly warned that tropical storms are becoming more powerful and less predictable due to human-driven climate change. Warmer seas allow typhoons to become larger storms more quickly, and a warmer atmosphere retains more moisture, meaning tropical storm systems bring heavier precipitation.

The Philippines also suffers from frequent earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world.