Six dead after second typhoon in a week hits the Philippines BBC Kelly Ng,Singapore, 
Jonathan Head,South East Asia correspondent and Lulu Luo,Cabanatuan, Philippines 11-11-2025At least six people have died after a super typhoon barrelled through the Philippines, mere days after an earlier storm left more than 200 people dead. Super typhoon Fung-wong brought floods and landslides, which caused most of the deaths. It also cut power across entire provinces. It later weakened into a typhoon. More than 1.4 million people were evacuated ahead of it making landfall in the Philippines. It is now heading for Taiwan, where more than 3,000 people have been evacuated.                                                                                                                                                                                Fung-wong was the 21st typhoon to hit the South East Asian nation this year, at a time where many residents are still struggling to recover from back-to-back natural disasters. Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan, slammed into Aurora province on Luzon Sunday night with sustained winds of around 185 km/h (115mph) and gusts of 230km/h. The Philippines' meteorological service had earlier warned of destructive winds and "high-risk of life-threatening" storm surges from the "very intense" typhoon.                                                                                                                                                                                         In Cabanatuan, one of the worst-hit cities, the BBC saw residents rushing into their homes to pull out furniture and pets on Monday, desperate to salvage as many of their possessions possible as water levels rose. Although its wind speeds did not come up to par with some of the strongest storms in the Philippines' history, Fung-wong dumped large amounts of rain on the country, leaving some 4,100 houses either totally destroyed or partially damaged. Cabanatuan resident Mercidita Adriano and her family had trimmed trees near their home last week to prepare for the storm. When the winds and rain intensified, ten of them crowded into a small room, praying throughout the day that the typhoon would spare their house, she told the BBC. Part of their roof was torn off by the heavy rain.

Large parts of the country are still under water although the levels have gone down as of Tuesday morning. It comes just days after typhoon Kalmaegi ripped through the same region, leaving tens of thousands of people reeling. And in September, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the province of Cebu.

While the Philippines is prone to natural disasters, this series of catastrophes is "not routine", the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement on Sunday.

"It is a stark reminder of the escalating climate and seismic risks faced by vulnerable nations. Urgent support is needed to scale up relief efforts, prevent further loss of life and support the country as it recovers from this latest disaster," it said.    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rjyxv9472o                                                                                                                                                                                                                      How do hurricanes or typhoons form and are they getting stronger?BBC Mark Poynting Nov 5 2025 

 Typhoon Kalmaegi - one of the strongest of 2025 - has caused severe flooding in the Philippines, where it left at least 114 dead, before heading for Vietnam. Climate change is not thought to increase the number of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones worldwide. But warmer oceans coupled with a warmer atmosphere - fuelled by climate change - have the potential to make those that do form even more intense. That can potentially lead to higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall, and a greater risk of coastal flooding.                                                                                                                                                                                    What are hurricanes and where do they happen?.....Hurricanes are powerful storms which develop in warm tropical ocean waters. In someparts of the world, they are known as cyclones or typhoons. Collectively, these storms are referred to as "tropical cyclones".                                                                                                                                                              Have hurricanes been getting worse?....Globally, the frequency of tropical cyclones has not increased over the past century, and in fact the number may have fallen - although long-term data is limited in some regions. But it is "likely" that a higher proportion of tropical cyclones across the globe have reached category three or above over the past four decades, meaning they reach the highest wind speeds, according to the UN's climate body, the IPCC.             Philippines declares state of calamity as typhoon death toll rises to 114 The IPCC quotes "medium confidence" that there has been an increase in the average and peak rainfall rates associated with tropical cyclones. The frequency and magnitude of "rapid intensification events" in the Atlantic has also likely increased. This is where maximum wind speeds increase very quickly, which can be especially dangerous. There also seems to have been a slowdown in the speed at which tropical cyclones move across the Earth's surface. This typically brings more rainfall for a given location. For example, in 2017 Hurricane Harvey "stalled" over Houston, releasing 100cm of rain in three days. In some places, the average location where tropical cyclones reach their peak intensity has shifted poleward - for example the western North Pacific. This can expose new communities to these hazards and there is some evidence the increased intensity of US hurricanes means they are causing more damage.                                                           How is climate change affecting hurricanes?......Assessing the precise influence of climate change on individual tropical cyclones can be challenging due to the complexity of these storm systems. But rising temperatures can affect these storms in several ways. Firstly, warmer ocean waters mean storms can pick up more energy, leading to higher wind speeds.                      Maximum wind speeds of hurricanes between 2019 and 2023 were boosted by an estimated 19mph (30km/h) on average as a result of human-driven ocean warming, according to a recent study.                                                                                      Secondly, a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall.Climate change made the extreme rainfall from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 around three times more likely, according to one estimate......read on   https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rjyxv9472o      2024 Atlantic hurricane season breaks records despite unexpected lull       Why Hurricane Melissa was so dangerous in the Caribbean

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