Taiwan evacuates thousands as weakening Typhoon Fung-wong moves in after deadly Philippine impact

Taiwan on alert

Taiwan is bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Fung-wong, a system that has already left a trail of destruction across the Philippines. More than 3,000 people have been evacuated from flood-prone and mountainous areas, as strong winds and heavy rain begin to sweep the island’s southern and eastern coasts.

Fung-wong, once a super typhoon, has weakened on its path northward but still carries the power to cause damage. On Tuesday morning, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration reported sustained winds of up to 108 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching 137 kilometers per hour. Forecasters expect the storm to make landfall near Kaohsiung by late Wednesday before crossing the island and exiting off the northeast coast early Thursday.

In Hualien and Yilan Counties, schools and offices were closed as precautionary evacuations took place in Guangfu Township, an area still recovering from September’s deadly floods that claimed 18 lives. “Even if Fung-wong is weaker now, we cannot relax," said Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai.

President Lai Ching-te urged residents to stay away from mountain slopes and coastal areas, warning that heavy rainfall could trigger landslides and flash floods. The transport ministry reported 66 flight cancellations, mostly domestic, as winds intensified along the western coast.

Aftermath in the Philippines

Just days earlier, Fung-wong battered the Philippines’ main island of Luzon with devastating force. Striking as a super typhoon on Sunday, it brought winds up to 185 kilometers per hour and gusts nearing 230 kilometers per hour, unleashing floods and landslides that left at least 25 people dead and over 1.4 million displaced.

Entire villages in northern provinces were buried under mud and debris. In Nueva Vizcaya Province, three children were killed when their homes were swept away in separate landslides. Two others died in Kalinga Province, while floods and collapsing structures claimed several more lives in nearby regions.

“It was not one big tragedy in a single place," said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV from the Office of Civil Defense. “People were killed in separate landslides across the mountains."

The storm’s violent winds flattened houses and uprooted trees across Luzon Island. Floodwaters swallowed parts of 132 northern villages, trapping residents on rooftops overnight. As of Tuesday, over 800,000 evacuees remain in shelters scattered across northern Luzon, while thousands more are staying with relatives after losing their homes.

Taiwan and the region brace for the storm’s passage

Taiwan’s government has activated emergency response teams, warning that the combination of heavy rain and saturated soil could lead to new flooding or landslides in mountain regions. The storm’s outer bands are expected to deliver torrential downpours to southern and eastern Taiwan, even as its core continues to weaken.

Neighboring China has also issued alerts for its southeastern provinces — including Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hainan — as the storm is projected to move out into the Taiwan Strait and continue toward the Chinese coast later in the week.

Despite its downgrade to a tropical storm, meteorologists say Fung-wong still poses a serious risk due to its wide circulation and slow movement.

Both Taiwan and the Philippines lie in the Western Pacific typhoon belt, a region where warm ocean waters routinely give rise to some of the world’s most intense tropical systems. For residents of both islands, storms like Fung-wong are an all-too-familiar part of life — yet each one brings its own uncertainty.

As evening approaches, the winds in Kaohsiung are picking up, and rain is beginning to fall steadily. The island is waiting — hoping the worst has already passed, even as the storm draws closer.