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Super Typhoon Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, made landfall yesterday and was expected to be the biggest storm to hit the country this year. The powerful storm, with a radius which spans nearly the whole of the -archipelago, slammed into its east coast only days after Typhoon Kalmaegi killed more than 220 people, prompting -President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to declare a state of emergency. Today's News in 90 Seconds - Monday, November 10th Typhoon Fung-wong crossed over the north of the archipelago’s most -populous island, Luzon, weather -bureau PAGASA said, with torrential rain, sustained winds of 185kmh and gusts of up to 230kmh. The impact from Typhoon Fung-wong was already being felt along the country’s northeastern coast yesterday, with power cuts, torrential rains and a heavy fog. “The rain and wind were so strong there was nearly zero visibility,” Roberto Monterola, a disaster-mitigation officer for eastern Catanduanes province, told the Associated Press. The Philippines defence secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr, who oversees disaster response, issued a warning about the storm on Saturday night and -advised those in high-risk environments to evacuate. “We ask that people pre-emptively 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 coastguard personnel at risk,” said Mr Teodoro. Many of the evacuation efforts have been targeting high-risk villages in the country’s north-east, including across Bicol region on the east coast, which is vulnerable to mudflows from -Mayon, one of the Philippines’ most active -volcanoes. Mr Monterola said that his team had already had to rescue 14 people who were trapped inside the roof of a house that had been swept up in a flood. Mr Teodoro also warned that the -rapidly approaching super typhoon would affect significant portions of the country, including central Cebu, which was battered by Typhoon Kalmaegi as well as the capital, Manila. The Office of Civil Defence said that more than 30 million people could be affected by the storm once it made landfall. The US and Japan have already said that they are prepared to provide assistance. At least 325 domestic and 61 international flights have been cancelled over the weekend and into today, and more than 6,600 commuters and -cargo workers were stranded in at least 109 seaports. “We heard on the news that the -typhoon is very strong, so we evacuated early,” said Christopher Sanchez (50), who camped with his family on a basketball court in Isabela province on Luzon. Given previous flooding, the family moved possessions to their roof -before leaving. “We’re scared. We’re here with our grandchildren and our kids,” he said in the sports arena dotted by tents, -elderly people on plastic chairs and children roaming. Luzon and another island, Eastern Visayas, bore the brunt of the storm’s early onslaught, with one person drowned and another trapped under debris, authorities said. The storm was expected to weaken as it moves inland. Pope Leo offered prayers for the predominantly Catholic nation. “I am close to the people of the Philippines affected by a violent typhoon. I pray for the deceased and their families, for the injured and the displaced,” he said yesterday. In Luzon island’s Aurora province where the storm arrived, lights went out but phone lines were still working, civil defence official Cheng Quizon told DZBB radio. Several airports, including Sangley near the capital Manila and Bicol to the south, closed. The Philippines experiences an average of 20 typhoons and storms every year. Prior to Fung-wong, the strongest storm to hit the country was Super Typhoon Ragasa, which struck in late September and was quickly followed by Typhoon Bualoi. A wave of protests erupted across the Philippines in early September after it was revealed billions of dollars in flood control spending, which is critical to emergency responses around typhoons, had been lost to corruption. At least one person died and more than 200 others were arrested during the demonstrations. Fung-Wong is expected to head north of the Philippines and reach coastal waters this morning while remaining a typhoon, PAGASA said, before heading out to sea and weakening as it reaches west Taiwan on Thursday. (© Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd)
