MANILA, Philippines (AP) – A tropical storm named Fengshen, locally referred to as Ramil, struck the northern and central regions of the Philippines on Sunday, resulting in at least one death and forcing over 22,000 residents to evacuate from villages prone to flooding and landslides. The storm's impact has raised concerns as the affected areas were already vulnerable from recent natural disasters.
As of midday, Tropical Storm Fengshen was observed over Manila Bay, exhibiting sustained winds of up to 65 kilometers per hour (40 miles per hour) and gusts reaching 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour). Government forecasters anticipated the storm would begin to move away from the main northern Philippine island of Luzon later in the evening and eventually head into the South China Sea towards Vietnam.
Tragically, a villager drowned on Saturday in Roxas City, located in the central province of Capiz. The flooding conditions in many of the local villages were exacerbated by the high tide. Additionally, five individuals lost their lives in Pitogo town, located in the eastern province of Quezon, when a tree they were attempting to fell by burning fell on their hut. The provincial police chief, Romulo Albacea, indicated that authorities were evaluating whether to categorize these fatalities as directly resulting from the storm.
This storm marks the 18th tropical cyclone to impact the Philippine archipelago this year, coinciding with ongoing recovery efforts in central and southern provinces still reeling from recent earthquakes. These earthquakes have resulted in over 80 deaths, displaced thousands, and damaged more than 134,000 homes, particularly in central Cebu province, according to the country’s disaster-mitigation agency.
The Philippines, strategically situated between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, is susceptible to approximately 20 typhoons and storms each year. Furthermore, the nation frequently experiences earthquakes and is home to around two dozen active volcanoes, solidifying its status as one of the world's most disaster-prone countries.
