ISABELA, Philippines, Nov 9 : The Philippines has issued a high alert as Super Typhoon Fung-Wong (locally called Uwan) began hitting the need Luzon island. Evacuations have begun for more than 900,000 people from hazardous areas, schools and offices have been shutdown in multiple provinces, including Metro Manila.
Fung-Wong to Make Landfall in Aurora Province
The super typhoon is expected to make landfall in the province of Aurora late on Sunday night with sustained winds of 185+ km/h and gusts as high as 230+ km/h. This storm comes only a few days after Typhoon Kalmaegi that left 224 dead in the Philippines and continued flooding in Vietnam.
Officials have raised Signal No. 5 (highest storm warning) in the central and southeastern areas of the country including Catanduanes, Aurora, Camarines Sur, etc… Metro Manila and other provinces are under Signal No. 3 which presumes harmful winds and very heavy rain expected based on the longevity of the storm.
Authority Cauls for Preemptive Evacuations
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro is advising people in the path of the storm to leave immediately, if they have not already evacuated.
“We ask that people preemptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute,” he said, warning that non-compliance could risk lives.
The military redirected 2,000 troops from training duty to humanitarian assistance and disaster response duty. Officials said they hope to prevent casualties given some communities have just begun to recover from Kalmaegi.
Thousands Finding Refuge in Evacuation Centres
Families have found refuge in evacuation centres such as churches and gyms converted into temporary shelters.
“We’re scared,” said Christopher Sanchez, a 50-year-old resident who fled with his family. “Every time there’s a storm, we come here because we live near the river. In previous storms, the floodwaters rose above human height.”
Rough weather has hit northern Luzon with high winds and heavy rain and no electricity reported in the Eastern Visayas for a long time.
Baclaran Delayed and Disrupted –
The Philippine Coast Guard documented evacuees boarding military trucks, while cancellations of flights both domestic and international were nearing 400. Reports from the field indicated that flooding and visibility were making roads difficult to navigate.
Authorities Want to Avoid Repeat of Kalmaegi
Super Typhoon Fung-Wong is the 21 st storm to hit the Philippines in 2025, volume which exceeds the country’s average of 20 storms annually. Be it just more than two months have passed since the Push Team and they are still assisting survivors of typhoon Kalmaegi, there is an incredible amount of pressure on the government to show more preparedness, and more effective post storm relief.
Civil defence official Raffy Alejandro said, “We hope to avoid casualties this time. We’ve learned lessons from the previous typhoon.”
(Inputs from Reuters)
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