The island nation was severely impacted by Intense Cyclone Fung-wong, resulting in at least two people dead and forced the evacuation of more than 1.4 million individuals.
Officials reported that the massive storm triggered widespread sudden floods, coastal inundation, landslides, and destructive gale-force winds, leading to the evacuation of millions of people nationwide.
In the town of Pandan, a severely affected area, disaster response teams documented floodwaters reaching rooftop levels and residences washed out by the powerful currents.
“Our personnel rescued fourteen people stranded atop a house engulfed in flood in a flood-prone area,” an emergency official explained. “A father frantically contacted us, reporting his home’s roof was at risk of tearing away by the wind. We rescued him and four relatives.”
As of Monday morning, officials announced at least two deaths: one from drowning on the island and a second individual who died when her house collapsed in eastern Samar.
The super typhoon was downgraded to a typhoon early Monday as it crossed the Philippines’ largest island, home to the national capital.
According to meteorological authorities, its maximum winds dropped from 115 mph to 102 mph, though wind bursts peaked at more than 275 km/h.
The storm system is projected to continue weakening as it moves north toward Taiwan.
The national disaster response service stated it was still working to assess damage to infrastructure and homes.
Approximately 6,000 evacuation centres have been opened to accommodate 92,000 families.
Fung-wong struck shortly following another severe storm, which killed hundreds of lives with dozens unaccounted for before moving on to Vietnam, causing five deaths there.
Search operations for those still missing were halted recently due to safety concerns to emergency personnel.
Global warming is causing tropical storms more intense and common. Fung-wong is the 21st typhoon to impact the nation in 2025.
Researchers have found that the frequency of super-typhoons striking the islands has risen by more than 100% over the last two decades.
Global assessments indicate that intense storms result in approximately US$3.5 million in losses for the Philippines annually.
The Philippine president issued an emergency declaration last week due to the extensive devastation caused by the prior typhoon and anticipated impacts from the new storm.
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