Philippines warns of deadly storm surges as massive Typhoon Fung-wong nears super typhoon strength

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MANILA (Reuters) -The Philippines’ weather bureau warned of life-threatening storm surges of up to five metres and destructive winds as Typhoon Fung-wong churns toward the country’s eastern coast, where it is forecast to intensify into a super typhoon before making landfall on Sunday night.

The typhoon’s massive circulation, spanning 1,500 kilometres (932 miles), is already lashing parts of eastern Philippines with heavy rains and winds, PAGASA weather forecaster Benison Estareja said in a briefing.

“It can cover almost the entire country,” Estareja said.

Fung-wong, locally named Uwan, is currently packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kph and gusts of up to 170 kph, and could intensify to 185 kph as it nears land, Estareja said, powerful enough to destroy homes, topple trees and structures.

Up to 200 mm of rainfall is expected in eastern Philippine provinces, particularly in the Bicol region, as well as parts of Samar, raising the risk of widespread flooding and landslides, while northern and central Luzon could see 100-200 mm rainfall during its passage.

PAGASA urged residents in low-lying and coastal areas to evacuate to higher ground and halt all marine activities, warning of destructive storm surges that could inundate coastal communities, and warned of violent winds.

Several local governments have suspended classes for Monday, and the Philippines’ flag carrier has cancelled some flights, ahead of Fung-wong’s expected landfall.

The warning comes just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi left a trail of destruction across the region, ripping through coastal communities, toppling trees, and shredding roofs and windows.

Kalmaegi killed 204 people in the Philippines and five in Vietnam, displaced hundreds of thousands, and knocked out power across wide areas.

Vietnam’s disaster agency reported damage to nearly 2,800 homes, and said about 500,000 people remain without electricity. In the Philippines, raging floods destroyed homes and clogged streets with debris.

Vietnam and the Philippines are highly vulnerable to tropical storms and typhoons due to their locations along the Pacific typhoon belt, regularly experiencing damage and casualties during peak storm seasons.

In Thailand, Kalmaegi’s lingering impact caused heavy rain and localised flooding in parts of the northeast and central regions.

Scientists have warned that storms such as Kalmaegi are becoming more powerful as global temperatures rise.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Phuong Nguyen in Vietnam and Chayut Setboonsarng in Bangkok; Editing by Himani Sarkar)