Super Typhoon Fung-wong has exacerbated a relentless storm season in the Philippines, killing at least four people and displacing millions, as global leaders gather to address escalating climate change impacts.
The powerful storm, one of the year’s most severe, struck the archipelago yesterday with winds up to 93 miles per hour (150 kilometers per hour). It brought heavy rains and high waves, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
Rescue officials reported two children died when a landslide buried a house in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya province. Two other fatalities were attributed to drowning and debris-related incidents.
Despite the devastation, the Civil Defense Office indicated the overall death toll was lower than anticipated. This was primarily due to timely mass evacuations.
In Aurora province, where Fung-wong made direct landfall, at least four towns remain cut off. Roads and bridges were destroyed by landslides, isolating communities.
Fung-wong marks the 21st storm to hit the Philippines this year. Just a week prior, Typhoon Kalmaegi killed over 224 people in the Philippines and five others in Vietnam.
The rapid succession of two destructive typhoons underscores the intensifying effects of the global climate crisis. This comes as leaders from more than 190 nations recently opened the COP30 conference in Brazil.
The summit aims to formulate strategies for tackling worsening global warming.
Matthew England, a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales in Australia, highlighted significantly above-average sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. These elevated temperatures mean storms forming in the region are likely to possess immense power and stronger wind speeds.
Fung-wong is now tracking northeastward toward Taiwan. It is projected to make landfall on the island’s western side on Wednesday.
Taiwan’s eastern mountainous areas are bracing for another round of heavy rain and flash floods. Authorities in Guangfu have ordered evacuations. The town experienced a tragic flood in September that claimed 18 lives.