Typhoon Mangkhut Wreaks Havoc In Philippines, Leaving At Least 25 Dead

Typhoon Mangkhut, which meteorologists called the most powerful storm in the world this year, swept through the northern end of the Philippine island of Luzon, leaving at least 25 people dead and wreaking havoc. It uprooted trees, ripped off roofs, set off landslides and flooded farms and roads. 

Yet amid the suffering, there was also relief that the situation was not much worse. The initial casualty toll was far lower than officials had feared in the days before the storm made landfall early Saturday on the Philippines’ largest and most populous island. 

But it could be days or weeks before the storm’s true human toll is known. It will also take time to assess how much damage was done to the country’s prime agricultural region and to the economy. Damage to farms could be extensive — and costly for the nation. The region is the country’s largest food producer, and the destruction of crops could lead to food shortages, higher costs and inflation. 

From the road above Robert Tumaneng’s fish ponds on Saturday, the floodwaters extended as far as the eye could see, with the tips of palm trees and the thatched roofs of wooden shacks barely visible beneath the caramel-colored water. 

“It was shaking like an earthquake,” said Mr. Tumaneng, 55, a fish farmer in the town of Claveria on Luzon’s north coast. “This storm was different because the wind was low to the ground like it was crawling and destroying everything,” he said after the storm hit. 

The number of confirmed fatalities is almost certain to rise as people begin assessing damage from the typhoon. But if the numbers are limited, it will be, at least in part, a testament to the preparedness of authorities following disastrous storms in recent years. --- The New York Times