The humanitarian toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi continues to deepen, as Philippine emergency officials confirmed Wednesday, November 5, that at least 66 people have died and 26 remain missing following the powerful storm that tore across the central and southern regions of the country.
Authorities say Cebu province has endured some of the worst destruction, with entire neighborhoods flattened, roads blocked by wreckage, and rivers of mud cutting off communities for hours. In Talisay City, residents continued rummaging through debris in search of what little they could salvage. One survivor, 38-year-old Eilene Oken, said her family’s home was wiped out in a matter of minutes: “Years of savings — our whole life — gone instantly. But we thank God that we survived.”
Kalmaegi, locally known as Tino, is the 20th tropical cyclone to strike the Philippines this year — amplifying concerns about the country’s increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events linked to climate change. The storm hit just a little over a month after northern Cebu was rocked by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that killed dozens and displaced thousands more.
Among the fatalities were six military personnel who died when their helicopter went down in Mindanao while delivering relief goods to remote areas cut off by floodwaters.
The state weather bureau PAGASA reported that Kalmaegi slightly weakened after making landfall Tuesday, but may regain intensity as it exits toward the South China Sea. As of Wednesday, the system was tracking westward from the Palawan region with sustained winds of up to 130 kph (81 mph) and gusts reaching 180 kph (112 mph).
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) confirmed that over 200,000 residents were evacuated in advance of the storm from parts of the Visayas, southern Luzon, and northern Mindanao, after warnings of storm surges that could exceed 3 meters along coastal zones. Authorities also reported hundreds of power lines down, internet outages in several provinces, and more than 180 flights cancelled, causing nationwide travel disruptions.
Kalmaegi is now heading towards Vietnam, where officials have already activated top-level emergency protocols. The Vietnamese government warns that the storm could worsen already severe flooding in central provinces, where at least 40 people have died in recent days due to continuous rains.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered maximum mobilization of national resources, saying the government is preparing for a “worst-case scenario,” as more heavy rainfall and landslides are expected.
Source:Africa Publicity
