Super Typhoon Fung-wong makes landfall after forcing more than 1 million people to evacuate

MANILA Philippines AP Super Typhoon Fung-wong slammed ashore on Sunday in the northeastern coast of the Philippines where the massive storm had already left at least two people dead and forced more than a million people to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone areas executives stated The typhoon blew into Dinalungan town in Aurora province Sunday night after setting off fierce rain and wind in northeastern Philippine provinces all day from offshore with sustained winds of up to kph mph and gusts of up to kph mph The biggest typhoon to threaten the Philippines in years Fung-wong could cover two-thirds of the archipelago with its -kilometer -mile -wide rain and wind band forecasters reported It approached from the Pacific while the Philippines was still dealing with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi which left at least people dead in central provinces on Tuesday before pummelling Vietnam where at least five were killed A villager drowned in flash floods in the eastern province of Catanduanes and another died in Catbalogan city in eastern Samar province when she was pinned by debris functionaries reported Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a state of urgency due to the extensive devastation caused by Kalmaegi and the expected calamity from Fung-wong which is also called Uwan in the Philippines Tropical cyclones with sustained winds of kph mph 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 Zero visibility The rain and wind were so strong there was nearly zero visibility Roberto Monterola a disaster-mitigation officer for Catanduanes informed The Associated Press by telephone Despite calls for residents to evacuate Saturday various still stayed on Our personnel rescued people who were trapped on the roof of a house engulfed in flood in a low-lying neighborhood Monterola noted 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 moved away 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 bulk progressing volcanoes Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr warned about the potentially catastrophic impact of Fung-wong in televised remarks Saturday He announced the storm could affect a vast expanse of the country including Cebu the central province hit hardest by the previous typhoon and metropolitan Manila the densely populated capital region More than million people could be exposed to hazards posed by Fung-wong the Office of Civil Defense declared Teodoro questioned people to follow cabinet orders and seek shelter 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 noted Power cut in eastern towns The Philippines has not called for international help following the devastation caused by Kalmaegi but Teodoro reported 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 disclosed Functionaries in northern provinces that could be hit or sideswiped by Fung-wong preemptively shut schools and the bulk cabinet offices on Monday and Tuesday At least domestic and international flights have been canceled over the weekend and into Monday and more than commuters and cargo workers were stranded in seaports where the coast guard prohibited ships from venturing into rough seas Government warned of a high pitfall of life-threatening and damaging storm surge of more than meters nearly feet along the coasts of more than provinces and regions including metropolitan Manila The Philippines is battered by about typhoons and storms each year The country also is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen evolving volcanoes making it one of the world s bulk disaster-prone countries Source