At least 66 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands fled their homes as Typhoon Kalmaegi unleashed destructive floods across the central Philippines, with the island of Cebu bearing the brunt of the devastation.
The typhoon, locally known as Tino, made landfall early Tuesday with winds exceeding 80 mph, causing widespread flooding that submerged entire towns. Authorities reported that 49 of the fatalities occurred on Cebu, the most populous central island, while 26 others remain missing. The death toll includes six crew members of a military helicopter that crashed during relief operations on Mindanao island, south of Cebu. This incident occurred after the aircraft was deployed to assist in rescue efforts, with communication lost and all six bodies recovered.
Vivid footage from affected areas showed residents seeking refuge on rooftops as torrential waters swept cars and shipping containers through streets. Rescue teams navigated inundated neighborhoods in boats to evacuate trapped individuals, with emergency responders overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster. Carlos Jose Lañas, a 19-year-old volunteer rescuer, described it as the worst flood he had ever experienced, noting that even prepared responders were caught off-guard by river overflows that exceeded expectations.
Personal accounts from survivors paint a grim picture of the typhoon’s impact. Jel-an Moira Servas, a business owner in Mandaue city, found herself waist-deep in water within minutes and evacuated with her family, only to return to a home filled with mud and destruction. Don del Rosario, a 28-year-old Cebu City resident, called it the worst storm in his lifetime, reflecting the unprecedented nature of the flooding that left homes in shambles and communities struggling to begin cleanup.
In response, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro declared a state of calamity to expedite disaster relief, emphasizing that floodwaters, not winds, posed the greatest danger to residents. Rafaelito Alejandro of the Office of Civil Defence cited challenges in clearing debris and vehicles from roads, hampering rescue operations. The national disaster agency reported over 400,000 people displaced, with most deaths attributed to drowning as muddy torrents cascaded down hillsides into urban areas.
The Philippines, struck by an average of 20 storms annually, has faced a series of recent calamities, including back-to-back typhoons in September that killed over a dozen people and a powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake on September 30 that devastated Cebu. This pattern underscores the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters, exacerbated by issues like unfinished flood control systems linked to corruption, which have sparked public anger and protests.
As Typhoon Kalmaegi weakens and moves toward Vietnam, where record rainfall is already occurring, recovery efforts in the Philippines focus on sheltering the displaced and assessing extensive damage to infrastructure and crops. The event serves as a stark reminder of the escalating threats posed by extreme weather in climate-vulnerable nations, with implications for regional preparedness and international aid in the coming days.