Philippines declares emergency after typhoon leaves 241 dead or missing

The Philippines on Thursday, 6 November, reeled under the weight of tragedy as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency in the wake of Typhoon Kalmaegi, the deadliest natural disaster to strike the country this year.

The powerful storm left at least 241 people dead and missing, carving a path of devastation through the nation’s central provinces.

Kalmaegi’s fury unleashed torrents of rain and roaring winds that swallowed entire villages, sent rivers surging over their banks, and turned roads into raging waterways. According to authorities, at least 114 people have died, mostly from drowning in sudden flash floods, while 127 remain missing, many of them in Cebu, the province worst hit by the storm’s wrath.

تسبب إعصار كالمايجي (تينو) في فيضانات عارمة في #الفلبين.❗️ 🌀
بلغت سرعة الرياح 150 كيلومترًا في الساعة، وأمطار غزيرة، وعواصف عاتية.

تُظهر لقطات من باكايان، مدينة سيبو، فيضانات واسعة النطاق. 🚙 🚘⚠️
#Cebu #Philippines
pic.twitter.com/PQwAB2stQn

— طقس_العالم ⚡️ (@Arab_Storms) November 4, 2025

Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves 85 dead in central Philippines; dozens still missing

By the time the tropical cyclone drifted out of the archipelago and into the South China Sea on Wednesday, it had already scarred the lives of nearly two million people, displacing over 560,000 villagers — including 450,000 forced into emergency shelters as homes crumbled and farmlands vanished beneath the floodwaters.

At a high-level meeting with disaster-response officials, President Marcos’s emergency declaration was both solemn and urgent. The move, he said, would enable the government to disburse relief funds swiftly, ensure rapid restoration of essential services, and curb food hoarding and price gouging in stricken communities.

Across the affected regions, scenes of heartbreak mingled with resilience — families combed through the wreckage of their homes, rescuers waded through murky floodwaters in search of survivors, and churches opened their doors to those left with nothing but faith and the clothes on their backs.

As the winds quieted and waters began to recede, the Philippines once again found itself confronting the cruel rhythm of its geography — a land of enduring beauty and recurring storms, where every typhoon tests not just the strength of its shores, but the spirit of its people.