MANILA, PHILIPPINES – More than 1.3 million people have been evacuated across the Philippines as Super-Typhoon Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, made landfall on the main island of Luzon on Sunday, November 9, 2025. The powerful storm struck the nation just days after Typhoon Kalmaegi (locally named Tino) caused widespread devastation, leaving at least 224 people dead and 109 missing.

Fung-wong made landfall over Dinalungan, Aurora, around 9:10 PM Sunday (4:10 PM EAT), according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). The state weather agency classified Fung-wong as a super-typhoon after it recorded maximum sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) with gusts up to 230 km/h (140 mph). Under PAGASA's revised classification system, a storm reaching sustained winds of 185 km/h is designated a super-typhoon.

At least two fatalities have been confirmed from Fung-wong's passage. The Office of Civil Defense reported that one person drowned in the province of Catanduanes, while a 64-year-old woman was killed when her house collapsed in Catbalogan City. The back-to-back typhoons prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare a state of national calamity.

A Nation Reeling from Consecutive Disasters

The arrival of Fung-wong has compounded the humanitarian crisis left by Typhoon Kalmaegi, which battered the central Philippines earlier in the week. Kalmaegi caused significant flooding and landslides, with the province of Cebu being particularly hard-hit. Rescue and recovery operations for the 109 individuals still missing after Kalmaegi had to be suspended due to the immense safety risks posed by the incoming Super-Typhoon Fung-wong.

The Philippine government undertook extensive preemptive measures ahead of Fung-wong's landfall, evacuating over 1.3 million people from high-risk areas across 13 regions. Despite these efforts, the storm's vast 1,800-kilometer diameter has affected 836,572 people across eight regions, with widespread flooding and power outages reported in Central Luzon and the Bicol Region.

The Kenyan Connection and Global Climate Crisis

While there have been no official reports of Kenyan nationals being among the casualties, the disaster has implications for the Kenyan diaspora. According to a 2023 statement by the Philippines ambassador in Kenya, approximately 800 Kenyans resided in the Philippines as of 2020, including a significant student population pursuing medicine, dentistry, and nursing across the archipelago. Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued a statement on the typhoons. Kenya's National Disaster Management Policy, updated in 2017, provides a framework for managing domestic disasters, but its protocols for responding to international crises affecting Kenyan citizens abroad remain a developing area.

The increasing intensity of these storms underscores a global trend that scientists have linked to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have reported with growing confidence that a warming planet is leading to more powerful and wetter tropical cyclones. Warmer sea surface temperatures fuel the rapid intensification of storms, while a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, resulting in heavier rainfall and more severe flooding.

This phenomenon presents a stark warning for Kenya and the East Africa region. While the Philippines faces super-typhoons, Kenya confronts its own climate-driven catastrophes, including recurrent and severe droughts and devastating floods, which have displaced populations and threatened national development. The events in the Philippines serve as a critical reminder of the shared vulnerability of nations to extreme weather events and the urgent need for global cooperation on climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.