Typhoon Fung-Wong is forecast to swing toward Taiwan after the powerful storm struck the Philippines’ nor
theast late on Sunday, causing widespread flooding and the suspension of government operations.
The cyclone — known locally as Uwan — has now moved over the West Philippine Sea and weakened, packing top sustained winds of 130 kilometers (8
1 miles) per hour, according to a notice from the local weather bureau. The typhoon is expected to make landfall on northern Taiwan later this week.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had ordered the suspension of government work in the capital region and
nearby provinces on Monday, and classes at all levels until Tuesday. The typhoon had top sustained winds of 185
kilometers per hour before it hit the Philippines, equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
Fung-Wong made landfall over Dinalungan, Aurora, on the
main Luzon island, and Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro said on Monday that nea
rly 1,100 houses were damaged with 132 areas flooded and around 6,200 passengers were stranded at ports. Aroun
d 1.4 million people were preemptively evacuated, he added.
Alejandro said a person drowned in a flash flood in Viga town in Catanduanes province. In Catbalogan City in Samar province, a 64-year-old woman fell from
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a makeshift wooden bridge and was swept away by strong waves, a city disaster official told DZBB radio station.
“We have landslides in some areas and there were roads damaged,” Aurora province Vice Governor Patri
ck Alexis Angara told DZMM radio station. “We experienced storm surges already before the typhoon made landfall.”
Fung-Wong is the second deadly typhoon to hit the country
in the past week after Kalmaegi slammed into the central Philippines, and left more than 200 dead. The series of storm
s is putting a spotlight on a corruption scandal in the government’s billion-peso flood control projects, triggering public outrage.
More than 400 mostly domestic flights had been canceled for Nov. 9-12, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Phili
ppines said on Monday. Fung-Wong is the 21st cyclone to hit the Philippines this year, one more than the annual average i
n the nation that’s among of the world’s most prone to disasters.
The typhoon is forecast to strike Taiwan as a significantly weaker system later this week, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is currently 13
5 kilometers northwest of Bacnotan, according to the Philippines’ weather bureau.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said all cities across the
island must be prepared for Fung-Wong, noting that its path is highly u
nusual, the Central News Agency reported. He urged caution in Hualien County, where a red alert has been issued for
the Mataian Creek barrier lake, saying all residents in evacuation zones must leave without delay. Super Typho
on Ragasa left at least 15 people dead in the area in September.