One killed as super Typhoon Fung-wong nears Philippines, days after deadly Kalmaegi killed at least 204

Typhoon Fung-wong reached super typhoon status on Sunday (Nov 9). The storm is expected to make landfall late at night and has a radius spanning nearly the entirety of the Philippines. Nearly a million people have been evacuated as the country braces for the second storm within days. The typhoon will hit the country just days after another one wreaked havoc with winds of 185 kilometres (115 miles) per hour near the centre and gusts of up to 230 kph, killing at least 204.

The country has already recorded its first death as the storm nears. The body of a 64-year-old woman, who was killed while attempting to evacuate from her home in the central Philippines, was pulled from under debris and uprooted trees. Nearly 1,200,000 people have been preemptively evacuated ahead of the approaching typhoon, according to the government’s civil defence department.

As of 11 am (0300 GMT), the typhoon was moving westward toward the main island of Luzon, with wind speeds of 140 kilometres per hour and gusts of 170 kph.

Fung-wong is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain to swathes of the archipelago nation. Schools and government offices were ordered to stay closed on Monday across the main island of Luzon, including the capital Manila. Nearly 300 flights have also been cancelled due to the approaching storm.

Catanduanes, a small island that is expected to take a “direct hit”, was lashed by winds and rain early Sunday, with waves hurtling over streets along the coast and floodwaters increasing in some areas.

“As we speak, they are feeling the impact of the typhoon, especially in Catanduanes, because the storm's eye is closest there,” civil defence deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro said at a press briefing.

Typhoon Kalmaegi, which struck the country earlier this week, killed more than 200 people, with over 100 still missing. The storm also claimed at least 5 lives in Vietnam. It was one of the deadliest storms in the world this year.