Philippines braces for Typhoon Fung-wong after earlier storm kills over 200

"Typhoon Kalmaegi has left a trail of devastation across Southeast Asia, killing hundreds in the Philippines and at least five in Vietnam, flattening homes, uprooting trees and knocking out power to millions, but there could be more suffering to come. Rescue operations were suspended and mass evacuations began on Saturday as another storm, Typhoon Fung-wong, approached the Philippines, just days after Kalmaegi killed at least 204 people."

"Authorities warned that Fung-wong, expected to strengthen into a super typhoon before landfall, could blanket nearly the entire country. Its radius is so wide it could cover almost the whole Philippines, a government meteorologist said. Officials have urged residents in coastal and low-lying areas to seek safety, fearing more flooding and landslides after last week's destruction. Emergency shelters were prepared nationwide as the country braces for what could be one of the season's most powerful storms."

"In the Philippines, grief and exhaustion swept through the province of Cebu in Kalmaegi's destructive and deadly wake. Families gathered around rows of white coffins, mourning loved ones lost to floods and landslides. Jimmy Abatayo, who lost his wife and nine relatives, was overcome with guilt as he touched his wife's coffin. I told my family to swim, be brave and keep swimming, he said, breaking into tears. They did not hear what I said because I would never see them again."

Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 204 people in the Philippines and at least five in Vietnam, flattening homes, uprooting trees and cutting power to millions. Rescue operations were suspended and mass evacuations began as Typhoon Fung-wong approached, expected to strengthen into a super typhoon capable of blanketing nearly the entire country. Officials urged residents in coastal and low-lying areas to seek safety and prepared emergency shelters nationwide. The province of Cebu endured heavy losses with families mourning in rows of coffins, including Jimmy Abatayo who lost his wife and nine relatives. The Office of Civil Defense reports more than half a million displaced.

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