Nearly a million people evacuate in Philippines ahead of Super Typhoon

Nearly one million people have fled their homes as Super Typhoon Fung-wong, the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, began lashing the country’s northeastern coast on Sunday.

Authorities have warned that the storm’s massive wind and rain band could engulf two-thirds of the archipelago, threatening catastrophic damage just days after another deadly typhoon ravaged the region.

With winds reaching 185 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 230 kph, Fung-wong — known locally as Uwan — was tracked near the coastal waters of Pandan, Catanduanes Province before noon Sunday.

Government forecasters said the super typhoon is expected to make landfall later Sunday or early Monday along the Aurora or Isabela coasts.

The storm comes as the nation is still reeling from Typhoon Kalmaegi, which tore through central provinces earlier in the week, killing at least 224 people and leaving widespread devastation before moving on to Vietnam, where five more people died. In response, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared a state of emergency, citing both the destruction from Kalmaegi and the anticipated impact of Fung-wong.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who oversees the country’s disaster response, urged residents to evacuate before conditions worsen. “We need to move people out now,” he said in a televised address. “Once the rains intensify and flooding begins, rescue operations become extremely difficult.”

More than 916,000 residents in high-risk coastal and mountain villages across the Bicol region and nearby provinces have already been evacuated. Officials warned that over 30 million people could face the storm’s effects — including flash floods, landslides, and storm surges reaching up to 3 meters along exposed coastlines, including parts of Metro Manila.

Power outages have been reported in several eastern towns as the typhoon’s outer bands moved inland. Authorities have suspended schools and government offices across northern regions for Monday and Tuesday, while airlines have canceled at least 386 domestic and international flights. More than 6,600 passengers and crew remain stranded in ports, where ships have been barred from sailing due to dangerous seas.

Despite the scale of the crisis, the Philippines has not yet requested international aid, though the United States and Japan have offered assistance if needed.

The Philippines, located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” is among the world’s most disaster-prone nations, enduring around 20 typhoons annually, in addition to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

As Fung-wong advances, emergency teams remain on high alert — bracing for what could be one of the country’s most destructive storms in years.