Natural disasters in the Philippines

The Philippines was struck by three natural disasters in December.

On Dec. 3, Typhoon Kammuri made landfall near the capital, Manila, with wind gusts up to 146 miles per hour. At least two people were killed, and more than 200,000 people were forced to evacuate to shelters.

On Dec. 15, an earthquake measuring 6.8 in magnitude occurred near the city of Davao on Mindanao island, killing at least three people and injuring 31. It was the fifth earthquake measuring over magnitude 5 to hit the region since the beginning of October 2019.

On Dec. 24, Typhoon Phanfone (referred to locally as Typhoon Ursula) made landfall, passing through the central part of the archipelago with winds of up to 125 mph. At least 28 people were killed, with 12 people still missing at press time. More than 58,000 people were left stranded due to flooding and mudslides.