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Super Typhoon Fung-wong, the most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, has left a trail of destruction, resulting in at least two fatalities and displacing over a million people. The typhoon made landfall on Sunday, battering the country's northeastern coast with ferocious winds and torrential rain before moving west across the archipelago.
The storm, which reached "super typhoon" status, packed sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and gusts of up to 230 kph, according to weather officials. In anticipation of its arrival, authorities initiated one of the largest preemptive evacuations in the country's recent history, which saw nearly one million people moved to safer ground. The massive storm brought life to a standstill in several provinces, causing widespread power outages, toppling trees, and triggering significant flooding and landslides.
Fung-wong slammed ashore on Sunday in the northeastern Philippines, with provinces like Catanduanes experiencing surging floodwaters that swamped homes. The national disaster agency confirmed two deaths, one from a falling tree and another from a landslide. As the typhoon traversed the main island of Luzon, home to the capital Manila, emergency crews worked tirelessly to clear debris and conduct rescue operations in inundated areas.
By Monday, Fung-wong had exited the Philippine landmass into the South China Sea, weakening as it moved northwest towards Taiwan. However, its passage left a severe humanitarian impact, having displaced an estimated 1.4 million people in total, according to reports from agencies on Monday. The government is now focused on relief efforts and assessing the full extent of the damage to infrastructure and agriculture. The Philippines, an archipelago located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and typhoon belt, is hit by an average of 20 tropical storms annually, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone nations.
