Typhoon Tino’s Fury: Deadly Floods Claim Lives and Displace Thousands in the Heart of the Philippines
TYPHOON TINO – What began as a powerful typhoon quickly turned into a humanitarian crisis as Typhoon Tino battered Cebu and nearby provinces, claiming lives and inundating entire communities under deep floodwaters.
At least 26 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds of thousands forced to evacuate after Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) brought torrential rains and massive flooding to the central Philippines on Tuesday. Vast areas in Cebu province were submerged, with verified videos from AFP showing vehicles, including trucks and large shipping containers, being carried away by strong, muddy floodwaters. Authorities have described the scale of devastation as among the worst the region has experienced in recent years.
Civil defense deputy administrator Rafaelito Alejandro reported that Cebu accounted for 21 of the total deaths, bringing the storm’s overall death toll to 26. “Based on the information that we have, most of them died from drowning,” Alejandro told AFP in a phone interview.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Cebu City and surrounding areas received 183 millimeters (seven inches) of rainfall within 24 hours before Tino’s landfall — far surpassing the area’s monthly average of 131 millimeters. PAGASA weather forecaster Charmagne Varilla described the rainfall level as “extreme” and “unprecedented.”
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro shared a similar sentiment on Facebook, saying, “The situation in Cebu is really unprecedented.” She further explained, “We were expecting the winds to be the dangerous part, but… the water is what’s truly putting our people at risk. The floodwaters are just devastating.”
Rescue teams have faced significant challenges reaching affected residents due to rapidly rising water levels. Cebu disaster management officer Ethel Minoza said two children were found dead in Cebu City, while nearby provinces reported more casualties, including an elderly person who drowned in their Leyte home and a man killed by a falling tree in Bohol.
Residents described terrifying moments as the floods rose overnight. Don del Rosario, a 28-year-old from Cebu City, recalled, “The water rose so fast. By 4:00 am, it was already uncontrollable — people couldn’t get out (of their houses). I’ve been here for 28 years, and this is by far the worst we’ve experienced.”
Experts continue to warn that human-induced climate change is contributing to stronger and wetter typhoons. Rising ocean temperatures accelerate storm formation, while warmer air holds more moisture, resulting in heavier rainfall.
Cebu’s information officer, Rhon Ramos, reported that hundreds of individuals still living in temporary shelters after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake in late September were “forcibly evacuated for their own safety.”
Overall, nearly 400,000 residents were preemptively evacuated from high-risk areas, Alejandro announced in a Tuesday briefing.
Meanwhile, another tragedy occurred when a military Super Huey helicopter deployed for relief operations crashed on its way to Butuan City in northern Mindanao. The Eastern Mindanao Command confirmed the incident and said search and recovery efforts were ongoing, but did not confirm if there were survivors.
By Tuesday evening, Typhoon Tino was moving westward through the Visayas, packing sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour and gusts up to 180 kph, toppling trees and knocking out power lines.
The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations, is hit by around 20 storms each year. With Tino, the country has already reached that yearly average, and Varilla warned that “three to five more” storms could still develop before the year ends.
Just two months earlier, the country was battered by two powerful storms, including Super Typhoon Nando (international name: Ragasa), which tore through the region and claimed 14 lives in Taiwan.
READ ALSO: Typhoon Tino Brings Heavy Rains in Cebu, 8 Visayas Areas under Signal No. 4