More than 900,000 people in eastern, central and northern provinces of the Philippines have been evacuated from their homes as Super Typhoon Fung-wong approaches the archipelago.
Fung-wong, which intensified to become a super typhoon early on Sunday, is expected to make landfall over the northern province of Aurora later on Sunday or in the early hours of Monday.
The storm, called Uwan in the Philippines, comes with the island nation still reeling from another powerful typhoon, Kalmaegi, which left at least 224 people dead in central provinces amid flash floods and landslides.
Kalmaegi hit the archipelago on Tuesday, before moving across the South China Sea to Vietnam, where at least five people were killed.
How powerful is Super Typhoon Fung-wong?
The country’s weather bureau said Fung-wong was carrying maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph as it passed close to the eastern province of Catanduanes on Sunday morning.
The massive storm — the biggest to threaten the Philippines so far this year — spans 1,600 kilometers (994 miles), which could cover two-thirds of the archipelago nation.
The Philippines classifies tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 kph or higher as super typhoons to highlight the urgency of taking precautionary measures.
Climate scientists warn that such extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as the Earth’s atmosphere warms, largely owing to human use of fossil fuels.
Fung-wong forces school closures, flight cancelations
Schools and most government offices in northern provinces have been ordered to remain closed through Tuesday, while at least 325 domestic and 61 international flights were canceled over the weekend into Monday.
Power has also been cut in parts of the eastern provinces ahead of the expected landfall, while ships have been prohibited from taking to the sea from at least 109 seaports.
Authorities have 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.
Officials warn of Fung-wong’s potentially catastrophic impact
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who is in charge both of the country’s disaster response agencies and the military, warned that Fung-wong could have a catastrophic impact.
He said that the central province of Cebu, already devastated by Typhoon Kalmaegi, and the region centering on the densely populated capital, Manila, could be among the areas most affected.
In a televised address, Teodoro Jr. urged people to heed official warnings and evacuation orders. “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,” he said.
The Office of Civil Defense said that more than 30 million people could potentially be exposed to risks associated with the storm.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of emergency amid the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the dangers posed by Fung-wong.
The Philippines is hit by an average of about 20 tropical cyclones per year.
In November 2013, more than 6,300 people were killed by Super Typhoon Haiyan, one of the biggest storms ever to affect the country.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
