ENTIRE villages lay submerged, and scores of towns remained without electricity on Monday as Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) left the Philippines after killing at least two people and displacing more than a million. “Uwan,” with a footprint that spanned nearly the entire country, slammed into the eastern seaboard as a super typhoon on Sunday evening, uprooting trees and swamping towns in its path. It landed days after Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) swept through the islands of the central Philippines, killing at least 224 people. “Uwan” devastated large parts of the Philippines, displacing more than 1 million people and leaving widespread destruction across Luzon and the Visayas, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Monday. The typhoon intensified into a super typhoon before making landfall in Dinalungan, Aurora, on the evening of Nov. 9. It has since weakened over the West Philippine Sea, but its impact continues to be felt nationwide, with severe flooding, power outages, and transport paralysis reported in multiple regions. Cleanup efforts were underway on Monday from Cagayan province in the far north to the hard-hit Catanduanes island, more than 1,000 kilometers to the south. In Cagayan, provincial rescue chief Rueli Rapsing said a flash flood in neighboring Apayao province had caused the Chico River to burst its banks, sending nearby residents scrambling for higher ground. “We received reports around six in the morning... that some people were already on their roofs,” he said. While most had been rescued, video showed that some were still trapped. More than 5,000 people were safely evacuated before the overflowing Cagayan River buried the small city of Tuguegarao about 30 kilometers away. “Tuguegarao is underwater now,” Rapsing said. Schools and government offices across the main island of Luzon were closed on Monday. That included the capital Manila, where residents were cleaning up after a night of heavy rain. In Aurora province, rescue worker Geofry Parrocha said officials were assessing the damage. “We’re seeing many damaged houses, and some of our main roads were not passable due to landslides,” he said from Dipaculao town, where power had yet to be restored. “We couldn’t mobilize last night because the rain was heavy and the volume of water was high.” The ground was shaking Samar province, hammered by Typhoon Tino last week, recorded the first known death from Uwan on Sunday. Rescuer Juniel Tagarino said the body of a 64-year-old woman who had been trying to evacuate was pulled from under debris and fallen trees in Catbalogan City. “The wind was so strong and the rain was heavy.... According to her family members, she might have forgotten something and gone back inside her house,” Tagarino said. The civil defense office later confirmed a second death, a person who drowned in a flash flood on Catanduanes island. Storm surges sent waves hurtling over streets and floodwaters inundating homes in some areas of Catanduanes. “The waves started roaring around 7 a.m. When the waves hit the seawall, it felt like the ground was shaking,” resident Edson Casarino, 33, said. Verified video showed a church in Virac town surrounded by floodwaters that reached halfway up its entrance. There was also major flooding in southern Luzon’s Bicol region, where verified video showed streets transformed into raging torrents of water. More than 1.4 million people nationwide were evacuated in the face of the storm. The NDRRMC said Uwan affected 1,198,039 individuals, or 330,792 families. A massive preemptive evacuation moved 1.4 million residents to safer areas before the storm’s landfall, with 149,902 families now staying in 8,901 evacuation centers. The Bicol Region (Region 5) bore the brunt of the destruction, accounting for the majority of displaced residents and infrastructure damage. Two deaths and two injuries were initially confirmed in Regions 5, 6 and 8. However, local authorities later reported an additional incident in Nueva Vizcaya, where twin children were killed in a landslide in Barangay Balangabang, Kayapa. The figures remain subject to validation by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), which oversees casualty verification. Extensive damage Infrastructure suffered extensive damage, with 149 road sections and 32 bridges affected, many remaining impassable. Power outages were reported in 168 cities and municipalities, while 20 areas in Region 5 lost all communication lines. Flooding was recorded in 132 areas, and 13 coastal communities experienced storm surges. Transportation and utilities were severely disrupted. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) reported that 178 seaports suspended operations, stranding 6,210 passengers, 2,900 rolling cargoes, and 80 vessels. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed four vessels ran aground in Antique, Batangas, and Palawan but noted no casualties or oil spills. At least 1,085 houses were damaged — 89 destroyed and 996 partially damaged — while assessments are still ongoing. Government offices suspended work in 615 cities and municipalities, and classes were called off in 995 localities as a precaution. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) have mobilized over P2.6 billion in standby funds and P6.4 million in immediate food and non-food assistance, including 4,776 family food packs, 2,699 ready-to-eat meals, 150 modular tents, hygiene kits and tarpaulins. The DSWD maintains P2.3 billion worth of stockpiles for continued relief distribution. Search, rescue and retrieval operations remain in full force. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police (PNP) have collectively deployed 894 rescue teams and 190 assets, including land, sea and air units. The AFP said 349 disaster response task units and search-and-rescue teams have been deployed nationwide, supported by 11,903 personnel and over 3,000 assets. The BFP reported rescuing more than 181,000 individuals and clearing 157 roads blocked by debris, while the PCG said it evacuated 175,000 people and rescued 435 individuals at the height of the typhoon. Aurora remains among the hardest-hit provinces. Four municipalities were initially isolated by landslides, prompting the Department of Public Works and Highways to rush clearing operations to restore access and communication. Health authorities also remain on alert. The Department of Health (DOH) reported P156 million worth of available health logistics for affected communities. Preemptive evacuation saved lives President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commended local government units and national agencies for their coordinated preemptive evacuation efforts, which he said saved countless lives. “Once again, this shows how effective preemptive evacuation is. This approach clearly minimized casualties despite the strength of the storm,” Marcos said in a statement. The president directed the NDRRMC and government agencies to sustain relief and rehabilitation operations and ensure immediate restoration of lifelines, such as power, water and communication, in affected regions. Marcos issued the directive during a meeting with some Cabinet officials of regions directly hit by the weather disturbance, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro relayed. “In a meeting this morning, President Marcos ordered the Department of Social Welfare and Development, led by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, to continue providing assistance to all those affected by the typhoon,” she said in Filipino in a statement. The DSWD, she noted, has been keeping tabs on evacuation centers round-the-clock to determine the needs of those displaced by Uwan. The agency likewise reported that the Bicol Region, which was directly hit by the typhoon, tallied the highest number of evacuees, with more than 100,000 families displaced. In Camarines Sur, 44,000 families were affected, while Quezon province listed around 20,000 families under the Calabarzon region. Medical teams from the Department of Health were deployed to the temporary shelters to ensure there would be no spread of illnesses among the evacuees. “The president also immediately instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways, led by Secretary Vince Dizon, to begin rehabilitation efforts on damaged roads so that the delivery of aid to any part of the country would not be delayed,” Castro said. Meanwhile, the OCD said Pangasinan suffered severe flooding that has since started to recede. Four deaths were reported, though two were still under validation, while no missing persons have been confirmed. The president has instructed all agencies to maintain non-stop weather monitoring and sustain rehabilitation efforts in areas previously affected by Typhoons Tino and Uwan. “All agencies were instructed to stay alert and coordinate for continuous rehabilitation,” Castro said. WITH AFP