Casualties climb to 25 dead, 2 missing as ‘Uwan’ strikes Philippines

Twenty-five people have died, 30 were injured, and two remain missing following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Uwan (international name Fung-Wong) in the Philippines earlier this week, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Nov. 13 reported.

In its 6:00 a.m. report today, the NDRRMC detailed that 18 of the fatalities came from the Cordillera Administrative Region, three from Cagayan Valley (Region 2), and one each from Regions 5, 6, 8, and 9, most of which are still being validated.

Deputy Administrator Bernardo Alejandro IV of the Office of Civil Defense said in a Nov. 12 press briefing that authorities were focusing on several areas in Luzon as the most affected by ‘Uwan’.

“We are looking at Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte as the most affected areas in Bicol Region; sa Region 3, ‘yung Aurora; at sa Region 1, ‘yung Pangasinan,” he said.

‘Uwan,’ the 21st tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) in 2025, was first named a Severe Tropical Storm outside the PAR on Nov. 7 and intensified into a super typhoon as it approached the Bicol Region on Nov. 9.

The storm made landfall over Dinalungan, Aurora, at 9:10 p.m. on Nov. 9 and weakened to typhoon category later that night as it traversed mainland Luzon.

The typhoon affected more than 4.6 million people or 1.3 million families across 16 regions, with most coming from Bicol (Region 5) and Central Luzon (Region 3), among other Luzon areas.

Of these numbers, around 646,836 people were housed in 9,054 evacuation centers nationwide, more than half of them in the Bicol Region.

The NDRRMC also reported 85,789 damaged houses, including 75,050 partially and 10,739 totally destroyed by the typhoon.

As of Nov. 13, the storm’s infrastructure damage has been estimated at P675 million, while agricultural losses reached P143.7 million across 2,485 hectares of land.

Relief efforts have reached roughly 40 percent of the 631,186 families in need, with P242.9 million in aid disbursed by the government and partner agencies, including P807,878 sent to local governments in MIMAROPA.

Eighty-three cities and municipalities nationwide, including 47 in Ilocos (Region 1) and 36 in Bicol (Region 5), have declared a State of Calamity since the storm struck on Nov. 9.

Classes were suspended in 1,054 cities and municipalities, while work in 824 areas was canceled or adjusted to ensure residents’ safety.

‘Uwan’ emerged out the PAR on Nov. 11 but re-entered on Nov. 12 over northwest Itbayat, Batanes, and dissipated just before exiting the PAR on Nov. 13.