More than a million people evacuate as Super Typhoon Fung-wong threatens the northeastern coast

Super Typhoon Fung-wong, the biggest storm to threaten the Philippines this year, started battering the country’s northeastern coast ahead of landfall yesterday, knocking down power, forcing the evacuation of more than a million people and prompting the defense chief to warn many others to evacuate to safety from high-risk villages before it’s too late.

Fung-wong, which could cover two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago with its 1,600-kilometer-wide rain and wind band, approached from the Pacific while the Philippines was still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which left at least 224 people dead in central island provinces last Tuesday before pummeling Vietnam, where at least five were killed.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of emergency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected calamity from Fung-wong, which is called Uwan in the Philippines.

Fung-wong, with winds of up to 185 kph and gusts of up to 230 kph, was spotted by government forecasters before noon yesterday over coastal waters near the town of Pandan in eastern Catanduanes province, where torrential rains and fog have obscured visibility.

The typhoon was expected to track northwestward and make landfall on the coast of Aurora or Isabela province last night or early today, state forecasters said.

Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 kph or higher are categorized in the Philippines as a super typhoon, a designation adopted years ago to underscore the urgency tied to more extreme weather disturbances.

“The rain and wind were so strong there was nearly zero visibility,” Roberto Monterola, a disaster-mitigation officer for Catanduanes, told The Associated Press by telephone, adding there have been no reports of casualties so far in the island province of more than 200,000 people.

But despite calls for residents to evacuate from disaster-prone areas Saturday, some still stayed on.

“Our personnel rescued 14 people who were trapped on the roof of a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighborhood,” Monterola said. “A father also called in panic, saying the roof of his house was about to be ripped off by the wind. We saved him and four relatives.”

Over a million people were evacuated from high-risk villages in northeastern provinces, including in Bicol, a coastal region vulnerable to Pacific cyclones and mudflows from Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanoes.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who oversees the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung-wong in televised remarks Saturday. He said the storm could affect a vast expanse of the country, including Cebu, the central province hit hardest by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and metropolitan Manila, the densely populated capital region which is the seat of power and the country’s financial center.

More than 30 million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong, the Office of Civil Defense said.

Teodoro asked people to follow orders by officials to immediately move away from villages and towns prone to flash floods, landslides and coastal tidal surges. “We need to do this because when it’s already raining or the typhoon has hit and flooding has started, it’s hard to rescue people,” Teodoro said.

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

As Fung-wong approached with its wide band of fierce wind and rain, several eastern towns and villages lost power, Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense said.

Authorities in northern provinces to be hit or sideswiped by Fung-wong preemptively declared the shutdown of schools and most government offices on Monday and Tuesday. At least 325 domestic and 61 international flights have been canceled over the weekend and into today, and more than 6,600 commuters and cargo workers were stranded in at least 109 seaports, where the coast guard prohibited ships from venturing into rough seas.

Authorities warned of a “high risk of life-threatening and damaging storm surge” of more than 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) along the coasts of more than 20 provinces and regions, including metropolitan Manila.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. The country also is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. JIM GOMEZ, MANILAMDT/AP