NEED TO KNOW
- The Philippines have declared a state of emergency for Tropical Storm Fung-Wong as the nation grapples with the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi
- Kalmaegi has left 114 people dead, and displaced millions
- Fung-Wong is expected to make landfall in Luzon, according to officials
The Philippines have declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Fung-Wong’s impending landfall in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 6, according to the Associated Press. Kalmaegi has killed 114 people amid severe flooding, the outlet reports.
Fung-Wong is moving westward towards the island of Yap, Micronesia, according to a statement from the Philippines Office of Civil Defense. The organization estimates that the storm will make landfall on Monday, Nov. 10 in North-Central Luzon, per the statement.
“Wind Signals may be hoisted over the eastern portion of Luzon and portions of Samar Provinces as early as tomorrow evening or Saturday morning in anticipation of strong winds or higher associated with the upcoming tropical storm,” the statement read.
The statement went on to detail potential marine hazards. “Moderate to rough seas may begin over the northern and eastern seaboard of Luzon and the eastern seaboards of Visayas and Mindanao tomorrow or on Saturday, western and southern seaboards of Luzon may reach moderate to rough sea condition by mid Saturday or on Sunday.”
The organization added that sea conditions could become “very rough, high, very high, or phenomenal” surrounding the area.
Cebu, a central province, has been hit particularly hard, the AP reports. 127 people are still missing, with many of the deaths ruled as drownings in the flood waters. On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the storm blew from the archipelago to the South China Sea.
The Office of Civil Defense confirmed that the typhoon has impacted an estimated 2 million people and displaced more than 560,000 villagers, including approximately 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters, according to AP.
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“We did everything we can for the typhoon but, you know, there are really some unexpected things like flash floods,” Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro told the AP.
Disaster response officials said the storm raced across the central part of the country on Tuesday, Nov. 4, bringing sustained winds of 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts up to 180 kph (112 mph), according to the Associated Press.
Six people died on Tuesday, Nov. 4 when a Philippines air force helicopter crashed in southern Agusan del Sur province during a humanitarian mission, according to the AP and Reuters. The victims’ bodies have since been recovered.
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