As Taiwan braced for the arrival of tropical storm Fung-wong on Wednesday, the island found itself in the crosshairs of a weather system that had already left a trail of devastation across the Philippines. The storm, once a super typhoon, forced the evacuation of thousands, closed schools and offices, and prompted emergency warnings across the region, according to multiple news outlets including the Associated Press, BBC, and France 24.
On Tuesday, November 11, 2025, Taiwanese authorities evacuated more than 3,300 residents from vulnerable areas, particularly near the eastern township of Guangfu. This area had already suffered from deadly flooding in September, which resulted in the loss of 18 lives. The government acted swiftly, closing schools and offices in Hualien and Yilan counties as the storm approached. Taiwan’s weather agency reported that, as of Tuesday morning, Fung-wong carried maximum sustained winds of 108 kilometers per hour (67 miles per hour) with gusts reaching 137 kph (85 mph). The storm was forecast to make landfall near the southwestern port city of Kaohsiung on Wednesday afternoon or evening, before sweeping across the island and exiting from its northeastern side by late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Flights were canceled and public life ground to a halt in anticipation of the storm’s impact. According to the BBC, more than 3,000 people were evacuated from at-risk communities, and land warnings were issued for southern and southwestern areas, including Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Tainan, and Taitung. President Lai Ching-te urged residents to avoid mountainous areas, beaches, and other dangerous locations, saying, “We must all work together to get through this period safely.”
The urgency of these measures was underscored by the destruction Fung-wong had already wrought in the Philippines. The storm, known locally as Uwan, slammed into the northeastern coast of the Philippines’ Luzon island late Sunday, November 9, 2025, as a super typhoon with sustained winds of 185 kph (115 mph) and gusts up to 230 kph (143 mph), reported the Associated Press. The storm was a massive system, stretching some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) wide.
In the Philippines, the toll was grim. At least 25 people were confirmed dead as of Tuesday, with more than 1.4 million displaced. According to Office of Civil Defense deputy director Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, “It’s not mass casualty in one place,” but rather a series of deadly incidents across several provinces. Nineteen of the deaths occurred in the mountainous Cordillera region, an area long vulnerable to landslides during the rainy season. Among the dead were three children whose homes were buried in landslides in Nueva Vizcaya, and two villagers lost their lives in Kalinga province, with two more still missing. Flash floods, exposed electrical wires, and collapsing structures added to the casualty count, while 29 people were reported injured.
Floodwaters inundated hundreds of villages, leaving some residents stranded on rooftops as rivers like the Chico and Cagayan burst their banks. In Cagayan province, provincial rescue chief Rueli Rapsing described how “some people were already on their roofs” as waters rapidly rose, but “most had been rescued.” The BBC reported that more than 4,100 homes were either totally destroyed or partially damaged, and large areas remained underwater as of Tuesday morning.
The storm’s timing was especially cruel. Just days earlier, Typhoon Kalmaegi had torn through the same region, killing at least 232 people and leaving communities reeling. In September, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Cebu province, adding to the litany of disasters. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies described the recent sequence of catastrophes as “not routine,” warning, “It is a stark reminder of the escalating climate and seismic risks faced by vulnerable nations. Urgent support is needed to scale up relief efforts, prevent further loss of life and support the country as it recovers from this latest disaster.”
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency in the wake of the twin typhoons, extending a “state of national calamity” for a full year to speed up recovery and mobilize resources. The Associated Press noted that schools and most government offices were closed on Monday and Tuesday, while flights—both domestic and international—were canceled, and more than 6,600 commuters and cargo workers were stranded in ports after the coast guard banned ships from venturing into the stormy seas.
For the millions displaced in the Philippines, the ordeal was far from over. As of Tuesday, about 803,000 people remained in 11,000 evacuation centers across northern Luzon. In coastal Isabela province, entire towns were cut off, and in Catanduanes, water supply issues could take up to 20 days to resolve. Cagayan Valley region spokesman Alvin Ayson told AFP, “We are struggling to access these areas,” with landslides blocking roads and hampering rescue efforts. “Early recovery” would take weeks, he added, as communities faced the daunting task of rebuilding homes and restoring basic services.
Personal stories highlighted the human toll. In Cabanatuan, resident Mercidita Adriano recounted to the BBC how her family of ten huddled in a small room, praying for their safety as winds tore at their roof. “We didn’t think the water would reach us. It had never risen this high previously,” said Mark Lamer, a resident of Cagayan’s Tuao town, describing Fung-wong as “the strongest typhoon I have ever experienced.”
The storm’s impact extended beyond the Philippines and Taiwan. China activated an emergency typhoon response for its southeastern provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hainan, bracing for possible heavy rains and winds as Fung-wong tracked northward.
Scientists have warned that storms like Fung-wong are becoming more powerful and unpredictable due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, while a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, resulting in heavier rainfall and increased risk of flooding and landslides. The Philippines and Taiwan, both located in the so-called “typhoon belt,” are battered by numerous storms each year, but the recent back-to-back disasters have underscored the urgent need for improved preparedness and international support.
As Taiwan awaited Fung-wong’s landfall, the island’s residents and officials hoped that the worst had passed. But for many in the Philippines, the long road to recovery was just beginning—one more reminder of nature’s unpredictability and the resilience demanded of those living in its path.
