More than 900,000 people evacuated vulnerable areas of the Philippines as Super Typhoon Fung-wong began lashing the main island of Luzon, with work and classes suspended across several regions, including Metro Manila.
Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, is forecast to make landfall in Aurora province as early as Sunday night, even as the Southeast Asian archipelago recovers from Typhoon Kalmaegi, which killed 224 people in the Philippines and five in Vietnam, where it devastated coastal communities.
With sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and gusts of up to 230 kph (140 mph), Fung-wong was already battering many parts of Luzon with massive rain bands, the authorities said.
AUTHORITIES URGE PREEMPTIVE EVACUATIONS
The highest alert level, Signal No. 5, was raised over southeastern and central areas, including Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Aurora province, while Metro Manila and nearby provinces were under Signal No. 3.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro urged residents in the storm’s path to heed evacuation orders, warning that refusing to comply was dangerous and unlawful.
“We ask that people to preemptively evacuate so that we don’t end up having to conduct rescues at the last minute, which could put the lives of police, soldiers, firefighters and coast guard personnel at risk,” he said in a public address.
Fung-wong – the 21st storm this year to hit a nation that normally gets 20 – threatens to further strain disaster response as officials continue to assist Kalmaegi survivors and rebuild communities.
Authorities hope to avoid casualties this time, civil defence official Raffy Alejandro told a press conference.
The military has redirected around 2,000 troops from field training to focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
