AFP via Getty ImagesA storm battering the Philippines has been upgraded to super typhoon status, with an outlying island region already experiencing “life-threatening conditions.”
Typhoon Fung Wong will bring sustained winds of 185 km/h (155 mph) and torrential rains in several areas on Sunday, according to the country’s meteorological service (Pagasa).
Catanduanes, an island off the coast of Luzon, was the first part of the Philippines directly affected by the storm on Sunday morning.
Typhoon Fung Wong, known locally as Uwan, comes days after an earlier storm, Kalmaegi, left a trail of destruction and nearly 200 dead.
Several schools canceled classes on Monday or moved them online, while Philippine Airlines canceled several local flights ahead of arrival.
Typhoon Fung Wong is expected to weaken rapidly once it makes landfall, but will likely remain a typhoon as it passes over Luzon.
Eastern parts of the Philippines have already started experiencing heavy rain and winds, a Pagasa official said in a briefing Saturday afternoon local time.
While much of the country is expected to be affected, there are particular concerns about those areas that could suffer a direct impact, including Catanduanes.
Residents there, as well as in other coastal and low-lying areas, had been urged to move to higher ground on Sunday morning.
Typhoon Fung Wong has also forced the suspension of rescue operations after the passage of Kalmaegi, one of the strongest typhoons this year.
The heavy rains caused torrents of mud down the slopes and residential areas. Some poorer neighborhoods were devastated by rapid flash floods.
At least 204 people are known to have died in the Philippines as a result of the previous storm, while more than 100 are still missing.
Five people also died in Vietnam, where strong winds uprooted trees, tore off roofs and shattered large windows.
The Philippine government declared a state of calamity across the country following Typhoon Kalmaegi and in preparation for the approaching storm.
It has given government agencies more power to access emergency funds and accelerate the procurement and delivery of essential goods and services to those who need them.
For some Filipinos, the devastation wrought by Typhoon Kalmaegi earlier this week has left them even more anxious about the approaching storm.
“We decided to evacuate because the recent typhoon caused flooding in our area and now I just want to keep my family safe,” Norlito Dugan told AFP news agency.
He is among those who have taken refuge in a church in the city of Sorsogon, Luzon.
Another resident, Maxine Dugan, said: “I’m here because the waves near my house are huge now, I live close to the shore. The winds there are very strong now and the waves are huge.”
The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to tropical cyclones, due to its location in the Pacific Ocean, where such weather systems form.
Every year about 20 tropical cyclones form in that region, half of which directly impact the country.
Climate change is not believed to increase the number of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones around the world.
However, warmer oceans, coupled with a warmer atmosphere – fueled by climate change – have the potential to make those that form even more intense. This can potentially lead to higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall and an increased risk of coastal flooding.
