Three strong earthquakes and two devastating typhoons claimed around 370 lives in the Philippines, mostly in Cebu, since September this year. 122 people are still missing. Flash floods, landslides and damaged infrastructure injured and displaced hundreds of Filipinos and their families.
Tragedy struck on the morning of September 30 when a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit Bogo, Cebu, and neighboring areas, killing 76 people and injuring 559 others, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The quake affected 748,025 people, damaging 134,227 houses in Central Visayas and forcing hundreds into tent cities. Ten days later, on October 10, two powerful quakes of magnitudes 7.4 and 6.8 struck Manay, Davao Oriental, and nearby provinces, claiming eight lives and injuring 403, with 1.1 million people affected.
An even greater disaster hit Visayas in the first week of November as Typhoon Tino brought heavy rains and strong winds, resulting in 253 deaths and 119 missing as of November 26. Over 48,402 families occupied nearly 500 evacuation centers, while 5.5 million people were affected and displaced. Cebu, the hardest-hit from the September quake, recorded 150 of 269 reported fatalities, followed by 103 in the Negros Island Region, where over 100 remain missing per the NDRRMC's latest report. Among the dead were six Philippine Air Force pilots and crew in a Super Huey helicopter crash in Agusan del Sur during a relief mission for typhoon victims. Around 502 were injured, and 312,650 houses damaged across Mimaropa, Negros, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Caraga. Agricultural damage totaled P562.4 million, and infrastructure P490.1 million.
Rains and floods continued with Typhoon Uwan's arrival on November 10, killing 33 people—including 20 in the Cordillera Administrative Region—while injuring 51 and leaving three missing as of November 26. About 7.5 million were affected, with 303,384 relocating to 3,169 evacuation centers nationwide. The typhoon damaged 296,787 houses in regions including Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol, Western and Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Caraga, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Agricultural losses exceeded P2 billion, and infrastructure P2.6 billion. State weather forecasters plan to retire the names Tino and Uwan from the official typhoon list due to the extensive deaths and destruction.
