Typhoon Kalmaegi hit the central Philippines hard on Monday, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, flooding, and power outages, and leaving one person dead. The storm made landfall around midnight in Silago town, located in the Southern Leyte province, and later moved over the city of Sagay in Negros Occidental by mid-morning. Kalmaegi had maximum sustained winds of 150 km per hour and gusts reaching up to 185 km per hour.

This is the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in 2025. According to weather officials, the typhoon was moving northwest at 25 km per hour and is expected to leave the country’s western region and move into the South China Sea by Tuesday.

The storm has already caused loss of life and major damage. One elderly person reportedly drowned in floodwaters in Southern Leyte, where a complete power outage was also reported. Officials said more information on the damage and casualties would be shared after rescue and relief operations.

Before the typhoon made landfall, authorities took precautionary measures to reduce loss of life. Over 150,000 people were evacuated from coastal and low-lying areas in the eastern provinces. Disaster management agencies warned of torrential rain, strong winds, and possible storm surges reaching up to 3 metres high that could flood communities near the coast.

The storm’s wide coverage,  with a wind band stretching nearly 600 km, meant that many provinces were affected, including Cebu. Cebu has already been struggling to recover from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck on September 30, killing at least 79 people and leaving thousands homeless.

Authorities are continuing rescue efforts and assessing damage in the affected regions. Power and communication lines have been disrupted in several areas, while flights and ferry services were suspended due to unsafe weather conditions. Officials have urged residents to remain in shelters until conditions improve.