Manila, Philippines – Super Typhoon Fung Wong It made landfall in the Philippines on Sunday and departed Two dead and one million people evacuated Before the arrival of one of the strongest storms the country has witnessed this year.
The storm crossed northern Luzon, the most populous island in the archipelago, according to weather agency PAGASA, with heavy rains and strong winds of up to 185 kilometers per hour and wind speed up to 230 kilometers per hour.
This is the twenty-first storm to hit the country this year in a country that is barely recovering from Typhoon Kalmigi, which left 224 dead in the Philippines and five in Vietnam.
“We heard on the news that the typhoon was very strong, so we evacuated in advance,” said Christopher Sanchez, 50, who camped with his family at a basketball court in Luzon’s Isabela province.
Due to previous flooding, the family took their belongings to the roof before leaving.
“We are afraid. We are here with our grandchildren and children.”he said at the sports field filled with tents, elderly people on plastic chairs and children playing.
Luzon and Eastern Visayas Island were hardest hit by the storm’s initial onslaught.
Authorities reported that one person drowned and another was trapped under the rubble.
The storm is expected to weaken as it moves over land.
he Pope Leo XIII He offered prayers for the predominantly Catholic nation.
“I am close to the people of the Philippines affected by this violent typhoon. I pray for the dead and their families and for the wounded and displaced,” he said Sunday.
Civil defense official Cheng Quizon said power was out in Aurora province on Luzon island, where the storm made landfall, but phone lines were still working.
Several airports were closed, including Sangley Airport near the capital, Manila, and Bicol to the south.
According to Pagasa, Vung Wong is expected to head north of the Philippines and reach coastal waters on Monday morning while remaining a typhoon, before heading out to sea and weakening as it reaches western Taiwan on Thursday.
Phuong Wong, which can cover two-thirds of the Southeast Asian archipelago with its cloud bands 1,600 kilometers in diameter, approached the Pacific Ocean while the Philippines was still grappling with the storm. Destruction caused by Cyclone Kalmegi Which then struck Vietnam.
Before arriving on land, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Emergency Because of the widespread devastation caused by Kalmiji and the disaster predicted by Fung Wong, called Awan in the Philippines.
Government meteorologists spotted Vung Wong before noon on Sunday over coastal waters near the town of Pandan in eastern Catanduanes province, where heavy rain and fog obscured visibility.
Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) or more in the Philippines are classified as tropical cyclones. super hurricane, It is a name that was adopted years ago to emphasize the urgency associated with such severe climate disturbances.
“The rain and winds were so strong that visibility was almost nonexistent,” Catanduanes emergency official Roberto Monterola said by phone this morning.
But despite calls for residents to evacuate disaster-prone areas on Saturday, some remained.
“Our employees rescued 14 people who were trapped on the roof of a flooded house in a low-lying neighborhood,” Monterola said.
“A father also called in panic saying that the roof of his house was about to be torn off by the winds. We rescued him and four family members.”
More than one million people were evacuated from high-risk villages in the northeastern provinces, including… BicolIt is a coastal area vulnerable to Pacific hurricanes and mudflows mayon, One of the most active volcanoes in the country.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who oversees disaster response agencies and the military, warned of the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung Wong in televised comments on Saturday.
Teodoro asked people to follow officials’ orders to immediately move away from villages and towns vulnerable to floods, landslides and coastal storm surge.
“We need to do this because when the rains actually fall or the hurricane hits and the floods start, it is difficult to rescue people,” Teodoro said.
The Philippines has not requested international assistance in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Kalmiji, but Teodoro said the United States, a long-time ally of the country, and Japan were ready to provide assistance.
As Phung Wong approached with its widespread winds and rain, power was cut off in many towns and villages in the east of the country.
Authorities in the northern provinces where Typhoon Phuong Wong is expected to hit or patronize have announced the pre-emptive closure of schools and most government offices on Monday and Tuesday.
at least 325 national flights and 61 international flights Canceled over the weekend and into Monday, more than 6,600 passengers and shipping workers were stranded at at least 109 seaports as the Coast Guard prevented ships from venturing into increasingly rough seas.
The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms every year. The country also frequently records earthquakes, and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters.
Associated Press and Reuters
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