RESCUERS using backhoes and chainsaws began digging the Philippines out from the devastation of Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung-wong) on Tuesday, as floodwaters receded in hundreds of villages and the storm’s death toll climbed to 18. “Uwan,” which displaced 1.4 million people, had weakened into a severe tropical storm even as it began dumping rain on neighboring Taiwan ahead of an expected Wednesday landfall. It was the second major typhoon to hit the Philippines in days, after Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) last week rampaged through the country’s central islands on its way to killing 232 people, according to the latest figures. In coastal Isabela province, a town of 6,000 remained cut off from help on Tuesday, a civil defense spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP), with parts of neighboring Nueva Vizcaya province similarly isolated. “We are struggling to access these areas,” said Cagayan Valley region spokesman Alvin Ayson, who added that landslides had prevented rescuers from reaching affected residents. Others were “now in evacuation centers, but when they get back to their homes, their rebuilding will take time and face challenges.” He added that a 10-year-old boy in Nueva Vizcaya had been killed by one of the landslides. The child was among 18 deaths recorded in a new death toll released Tuesday by national civil defense deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro. In a phone interview, Alejandro said even “early recovery” efforts would take weeks. “The greatest challenge for us right now is the restoration of lifelines, road clearing, and restoration of power and communication lines, but we are working on it.” In hardest-hit Catanduanes island, issues with the water supply could take up to 20 days to fix, he said. In Cagayan, part of the Philippines’ largest river basin, 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... that some people were already on their roofs,” he said, adding most had been rescued. Mark Lamer, 24, a resident of Cagayan’s Tuao town, said it was the “strongest typhoon” he had ever experienced. “We didn’t think the water would reach us. It had never risen this high previously,” he said. Tuguegarao is underwater 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. Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which means heavier rainfall. “Uwan’s” death toll rose Monday after 5-year-old twins and an elderly man in two northern Luzon provinces were reported killed in landslides. The two children were killed at around 2 a.m. as their family slept inside their home, according to Ayson, the regional spokesman. Seasonal monsoon rains had saturated the soil around the dwelling before “Uwan” struck, he said. The storm’s first fatality came a day earlier further south in Samar province, while another was confirmed on Catanduanes island, where storm surges Sunday morning sent waves hurtling over streets and floodwaters into homes. Typhoon Tino last week sent floods rushing through the towns and cities of the central Philippines, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and shipping containers. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday that a “state of national calamity” declared over Tino would be extended to a full year. In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said more than 2.4 million people, or 653,000 families, were affected in 6,900 barangay nationwide. At least 18 people were confirmed dead, mostly due to landslides in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), while 28 others were injured and two remain missing as of Tuesday noon. “Uwan” made landfall in Dinalungan, Aurora on the evening of Nov. 9 as a super typhoon, bringing winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour and torrential rains that triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and coastal surges. It was the first super typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2025. Massive evacuations saved lives Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro said the scale of preemptive evacuations helped prevent higher casualties. Nearly 1.7 million people, or 499,000 families, were moved to safer ground before “Uwan’s” landfall. Around 804,000 families are now housed in 11,000 evacuation centers across the country. “The numbers show that preemptive evacuation really works in reducing casualties and injuries,” Alejandro said in a press briefing. The NDRRMC reported 267 barangay flooded and 19 coastal areas hit by storm surges. Power supply was disrupted in 394 local government units, with only 32 areas restored so far. About 202 roads and 37 national highways remain impassable, mostly in Regions 2 and 5, while several bridges were either destroyed or rendered unsafe. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has P2.6 billion in standby funds and stockpiles, and has already distributed P48.9 million worth of relief assistance to affected localities. Hardest hit Authorities identified Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte as among the hardest-hit provinces, with widespread power outages and destroyed water systems. Water supply restoration in Catanduanes may take up to 20 days, officials said. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian visited Catanduanes to assess ongoing operations and distribute 10,000 family food packs to local governments. In Central and Northern Luzon, extensive flooding and landslides also affected Aurora, Cagayan Valley, and CAR, where 12 of the 18 reported deaths occurred. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deployed over 11,000 personnel under its Search, Rescue, and Retrieval Cluster to assist in clearing operations, debris removal, and road and bridge repair. “Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines — alongside civilian auxiliaries — are all mobilized to restore access to isolated communities,” AFP spokesman Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said. The military has deployed 2,827 land assets, 169 naval vessels and rubber boats, and 45 aircraft for transport, relief delivery, and aerial assessment. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported that 12 regions experienced telecommunications disruptions, particularly in the Bicol Region, Eastern Samar, and parts of Mountain Province. Restoration work is ongoing, with connectivity gradually improving: Smart (82 percent), Globe (77 percent), Converge (79 percent), and DITO (63 percent). DICT said 482 Starlink satellite terminals have been deployed across Luzon and the Visayas to reestablish emergency communications, particularly in Catanduanes and Masbate. Relief operations The Department of Health (DOH) dispatched 1,368 medical personnel and activated its Surveillance in Post Extreme Emergencies and Disasters (Speed) system to monitor outbreaks in evacuation centers. Health Undersecretary Albert Domingo said consultations were ongoing in temporary shelters, with most patients reporting cough, fever, dizziness, and abdominal pain. The DOH also distributed chlorine tablets and aqua tabs to ensure safe drinking water and prevent leptospirosis. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy’s Task Force Energy Resiliency is working to restore electricity in provinces where hundreds of utility poles were toppled. DOE targets partial restoration within two weeks, with full power expected in three to four weeks depending on damage severity. Mobile generators have been deployed to hospitals and local command centers to provide charging stations and emergency power. Continuing risk and recovery The NDRRMC warned that floodwaters remain high in parts of Cagayan and Isabela due to dam water releases, urging residents to heed evacuation advisories. “Even as the skies clear, secondary risks like flooding and landslides continue,” Alejandro said. “We ask the public to remain alert and coordinate with their local disaster councils.” Extreme weather According to the Germanwatch Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 released on Tuesday, the country is the seventh most affected country globally by extreme weather events, both in the long-term period of 1995 to 2024 and in 2024 alone. “The Philippines has a high ranking mainly because of its high number of affected people per 100,000 and high absolute economic losses. Powerful typhoons regularly hit the archipelagic country because of its geographical location,” the report read. Among the storms it mentioned were Ondoy in 2009, Pablo in 2012, Yolanda in 2013, Ompong in 2018 and Rolly in 2020. The report singled out Yolanda, because of its devastating impact, as it affected nine regions in the Visayas. “Beyond these catastrophic events, the Philippines faces numerous tropical cyclones every year. Between 1995 and 2024, it experienced 371 extreme weather events, which are a constant threat to communities and development. Collectively, these disasters caused more than 27,500 fatalities, affected more than 230 million people, and resulted in more than US$5 billion in economic losses (inflation-adjusted),” the report read. This long-term list was topped by Dominica, followed by Myanmar, Honduras, Libya, Haiti and Grenada. In 2024 alone, the report said the country experienced an “exceptionally destructive typhoon season,” citing multiple powerful storms making landfall from September to November, affecting more than 16 million people, destroying 480,000 houses and displacing 11 million people.