by Xinhua Writers Zhang Yisheng, Nie Xiaoyang

TUGUEGARAO, the Philippines, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- In the early hours of Sunday morning, two emergency alerts lit up the phones of Xinhua reporters based in the Philippines -- both warning of the approaching Super Typhoon Fung-wong.

For this Southeast Asian country still reeling from the devastation left by Typhoon Kalmaegi, another powerful storm is now on its way. Fung-wong is the 21st tropical cyclone to hit the archipelago this year, surpassing the country's annual average of 20.

As of 5:00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT) on Sunday, the center of Fung-wong was located about 110 km north of Camarines Norte province, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 km per hour and gusts of up to 230 km per hour, the state weather bureau reported.

The tempest, moving west-northwestward at 30 km per hour, was expected to make landfall in Aurora province on Luzon Island late Sunday or early Monday, the bureau said.

In a shopping mall in Tuguegarao city, employees were busy taping glass windows and doors in preparation for the strong winds. During the storm, the mall will open its doors to residents seeking shelter, offering free overnight parking, charging stations, and Wi-Fi.

The preparations come as the country remains under a state of national calamity following Typhoon Kalmaegi's widespread destruction. Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has declared a one-year state of national calamity to speed up rescue, relief, and recovery efforts.

Kalmaegi, which made landfall on Nov. 4 and exited two days later, brought torrential rains and tree-snapping winds that triggered floods, landslides, and widespread infrastructure damage across the central and southern Philippines.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported on Sunday that Kalmaegi had claimed 224 lives nationwide. In Cebu province, the hardest-hit area, 158 people were reported dead, 57 remained missing, and more than 450 were injured.

Fung-wong is forecast to be even stronger, prompting the evacuation of more than one million people across the Philippines ahead of its landfall.

OCD Deputy Administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro told a news conference on Sunday afternoon that officials are verifying a report of a death in Catanduanes province in the Bicol region.

In Catbalogan city, Samar province in the central Philippines, firefighters recovered the body of a woman from the debris of her house destroyed by Fung-wong's fierce winds, said Juniel Tagarino, head of the city's disaster risk reduction office.

At the Tuguegarao City People's Gymnasium, government worker Maria Dominique Cura told Xinhua on Sunday that "we've prepared over 2,500 relief packs."

In the coming days, the gym, usually alive with basketball games, will serve as a temporary evacuation center for nearby residents, she said.

"We're no strangers to typhoons," Cura said. "But every time, we have to be ready for the worst." ■