Manila: The death toll from Typhoon Kalmaegi surged to 66 on Wednesday as rescue and cleanup operations intensified across the devastated province of Cebu, where residents have been left reeling from what officials described as the worst flooding in decades. The powerful storm, which brought torrential rains and fierce winds, is now moving westward toward the tourist island of Palawan, packing sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 165 kph, according to the state weather bureau.
Nearly three-fourths of the confirmed fatalities 49 deaths were reported in Cebu, the country’s second-largest urban hub and economic centre, said Civil Defense Deputy Administrator Rafaelito Alejandro in a radio interview. He added that 26 people remain missing, as authorities continue search and retrieval operations in communities buried under debris.
“It was the major cities that were hardest hit highly urbanised areas suffered extensive flooding,” Alejandro noted. “The floodwaters have receded, but clearing operations are our next big challenge. Roads are clogged with debris, overturned vehicles, and mud.”
In the low-lying districts of Cebu City and nearby towns, residents returned on Wednesday to streets still slick with silt and garbage. What had been bustling avenues a day earlier had turned into torrents that swept away cars, trucks, and even shipping containers.
Locals recounted terrifying scenes as rivers overflowed and the water surged through their homes.
“The flood here yesterday was beyond anything we’ve ever seen,” said Reynaldo Vergara, a 53-year-old shop owner who lost his entire livelihood overnight. “By dawn, the water was raging. You couldn’t even step outside. It was like the river had swallowed our town.”
Weather officials reported that Cebu received 183 millimetres of rainfall in just 24 hours far surpassing its monthly average of 131 millimetres. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the deluge intensified quickly as Kalmaegi crossed the Visayas region.
Provincial governor Pamela Baricuatro described the floods as “unprecedented,” admitting that local authorities were caught off guard by the sheer volume of rainfall.
“We were expecting the winds to be the dangerous part,” she told reporters. “But it’s the water it’s the floodwaters that have devastated our communities.”
Adding to the country’s grief, a military helicopter deployed for typhoon relief efforts crashed on northern Mindanao island on Tuesday. The Super Huey aircraft was en route to Butuan City when it went down amid heavy rain and strong crosswinds.
The Eastern Mindanao Command confirmed that six personnel two pilots and four crew members perished in the crash. Their remains were later recovered by search teams, according to Air Force spokesperson Colonel Maria Christina Basco, who said forensic identification was ongoing.
The helicopter was one of four aircraft assigned to support relief operations for communities isolated by the storm.
Authorities said nearly 400,000 residents were evacuated preemptively from the storm’s projected path, a move credited with preventing even higher casualties. Nonetheless, the extent of infrastructure damage remains under assessment, with bridges, communication lines, and power grids disrupted across several provinces.
Kalmaegi is now crossing the Sulu Sea and heading toward Palawan, home to world-renowned beaches and marine sanctuaries. The national weather agency warned that the storm may still intensify slightly before leaving Philippine territory and moving toward Vietnam by late week.
Meteorologists and climate scientists have once again pointed to climate change as a key driver behind the growing ferocity of tropical storms in the western Pacific.
“Warmer oceans are fuelling more powerful typhoons,” explained weather specialist Charmagne Varilla. “They gain energy faster, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and catastrophic flooding.”
The Philippines, which lies along the Pacific “typhoon belt,” experiences an average of 20 storms a year. Kalmaegi is already the 20th named storm to hit the archipelago in 2025, and Varilla cautioned that “three to five more” could strike before December ends.
This year has been especially punishing for the Philippines. In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa tore across the northern islands, ripping roofs off homes and killing 14 people, including victims in Taiwan. Before that, a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Cebu, compounding the vulnerability of its residents.
As Typhoon Kalmaegi moves onward, the Philippines faces yet another long recovery ahead clearing debris, rebuilding livelihoods, and fortifying defences against future storms. For families like Reynaldo Vergara’s, the question now is not only how to recover, but how to endure what scientists warn will become the “new normal.”