Super typhoon “Fung-Wong” sweeps across the Philippines

The super typhoon “Fung-Wong” hit the Philippines with wind speeds of up to 230 km/h.

The storm caused severe damage and claimed the lives of several people.

It is the second devastating typhoon to hit the islands within a week. Video footage shows the force of the hurricane.

A typhoon has just killed hundreds of people in the Philippines – now a new and even stronger hurricane has hit the island state.

Advertisement

The centre of “Fung-Wong” made landfall yesterday evening in the province of Aurora, according to the weather service Pagasa.

Even before its arrival, the storm had already caused violent winds and torrential rain in the Southeast Asian country. Several people lost their lives in the eastern provinces of Catanduanes and Samar, according to the disaster control authorities.

According to the Pagasa weather service, “Fung-Wong” is a super typhoon – a particularly strong and dangerous tropical cyclone. Wind speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour were recently measured.

Second typhoon within a week
It is the second typhoon to hit the region within a week. Just a few days ago, typhoon “Kalmaegi” hit the Philippines and Vietnam with hurricane-force gusts, heavy rainfall and meter-high tidal waves.

At least 224 people lost their lives in the Philippines and 109 are still missing. It is one of the worst flood disasters in recent years – many people have lost everything in the mud and masses of water.

“Fung-Wong” could have even more impact. The authorities have therefore called on more than 1.1 million people in the eastern, central and northern provinces to leave their homes.

● Life-threatening storm surges expected

The weather service warned of “life-threatening and destructive” storm surges of up to three meters. Residents of the northern provinces were urged to move to higher ground.

Omo-Agege congratulates Ovie of Udu, on his coronation

The foothills of “Fung-Wong” had already caused power cuts in many places in the eastern Philippines. Schools remained closed, fallen trees blocked roads and more than 300 flights were canceled on Sunday and Monday. According to government figures, a total of 8.4 million people could be affected by the super typhoon.

● Climate change makes typhoons more dangerous

The Philippines are hit by an average of around 20 typhoons every year. The particularly severe storm “Haiyan” killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013.

Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters. According to experts, increasing global warming is making them more dangerous. As warmer air can absorb more water vapor, tropical storms gain in intensity more quickly.

DPA