Typhoon Kalmaegi kills 66 in Philippines, compounding earthquake recovery crisis

Typhoon Kalmaegi swept across the central Philippines this week, leaving at least 66 people dead and 26 others missing in its wake. The storm's most devastating impact came through flooding—residents in hard-hit communities found themselves trapped on their roofs as floodwaters rose around them, calling desperately for rescue as the water continued to climb. Vehicles were swept away. Entire neighborhoods were engulfed. By Wednesday, as the typhoon moved westward into the South China Sea with sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 180 kilometers per hour, the full scope of the damage was becoming clear.

The central province of Cebu bore the brunt of the disaster. At least 49 people drowned in the floods there, with others killed by landslides and falling debris. Thirteen of the 26 missing persons were reported in Cebu alone. The Philippine Red Cross fielded numerous calls from people stranded on roofs, but rescue efforts had to wait until the floodwaters receded enough to make operations safer for emergency personnel. Gwendolyn Pang, the Red Cross secretary-general, acknowledged the impossible calculus: the organization did what it could, but the scale and speed of the flooding left many waiting hours for help that could not come sooner.

What made this disaster particularly cruel was its timing. Cebu, a province of more than 2.4 million people, was still in the early stages of recovery from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck on September 30. That quake killed at least 79 people and displaced thousands when houses collapsed or sustained severe damage. Governor Pamela Baricuatro had moved thousands of earthquake-displaced residents from flimsy tents into sturdier evacuation shelters just before Kalmaegi arrived—a decision that likely saved lives. The northern towns most devastated by the earthquake were largely spared from the typhoon's worst flooding, but the province as a whole was left staggering under the weight of two major disasters in five weeks.

The flooding itself may have been worsened by infrastructure failures and environmental degradation. Baricuatro pointed to years of quarrying operations that had caused heavy siltation in nearby rivers, reducing their capacity to handle the torrential rains. She also cited substandard flood control projects across the province. These concerns are not new to the Philippines—a corruption scandal involving flood control infrastructure that was either substandard or never built at all has sparked public outrage and street protests in recent months. Baricuatro called for an investigation into Cebu's flood control projects and said people should be held accountable for the failures.

The human cost extended beyond the flooding itself. Six people died in a separate tragedy when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur province on Tuesday while en route to deliver humanitarian aid to typhoon-affected areas. The military provided no details about what caused the crash.

Before Kalmaegi made landfall, more than 387,000 people had evacuated to safer ground across eastern and central provinces. Authorities had warned of torrential rains, destructive winds, and storm surges of up to three meters. The evacuation orders disrupted transportation across the archipelago: more than 3,500 passengers and cargo truck drivers were stranded in nearly 100 seaports as interisland ferries and fishing boats were prohibited from operating in increasingly rough seas. At least 186 domestic flights were cancelled.

Cebu declared a state of calamity to allow authorities to disburse emergency funds more rapidly. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson expressed condolences and said the United States stood ready to assist the recovery effort.

The storm did not stop at the Philippines. Central Vietnam, already reeling from days of record rain that had triggered flash floods and landslides, braced for Kalmaegi's arrival, with forecasters estimating the system would reach Vietnam's coast on Friday morning. Thailand's weather agency issued advisories for northern, eastern, and central regions, warning of heavy to very heavy rain expected Friday through the weekend that could trigger flash floods, landslides, and river overflows.

For the Philippines, this disaster underscores a grim reality: the country is battered by roughly 20 typhoons and storms each year, sits atop active earthquake zones, and is home to more than a dozen active volcanoes. Few places on Earth face such relentless natural hazard exposure. Cebu's recovery from the September earthquake will now be complicated by the damage Kalmaegi inflicted, and the questions about why flood control infrastructure failed will likely persist long after the waters recede.