Typhoon Surge Traps Families In Coastal Villages, Rescue Boats Struggle, Dozens Still Missing

Legazpi, Philippines— Water came in fast just after midnight on October 30, 2026. A storm surge pushed up the Albay Gulf, rivers backed up, and within an hour coastal barangays in Sorsogon and Albay were under chest-deep water. Families were trapped.

There was no time for a full evacuation. Local officials said the typhoon shifted track late. By 2 a.m., reports of people stuck on roofs came from Bacon, Prieto Diaz and Gubat. Cell signal failed. The only calls that got through were crackling radio from village captains.

Rescuers moved on rubber boats when they could. “The current took one boat and slammed it into a concrete wall,” a municipal disaster officer in Sorsogon said. “We pulled back. We had to wait for light.” At least 47 people were listed as trapped by morning. That number kept changing.

The water carried everything. Fishing boats, plywood walls, LPG tanks. A coast guard officer said three coastal roads were cut where culverts collapsed. Power poles leaned. Water stations were contaminated. Two evacuation centers in Matnog flooded themselves.

The Philippine Atmospheric office had warned of 200 millimeters of rain in 12 hours. What happened was worse on the ground. Tide and rain arrived together. Drainage canals that were supposed to protect low villages were clogged with silt from last month’s dredging project, residents said.

Inside the shelters, it was chaos. In one school in Castilla, 300 people shared two working toilets. A mother told local radio her children had not eaten since last night. Volunteers handed out packs of rice that ran out in an hour.

Military trucks arrived after dawn with more boats. The governor of Sorsogon said he asked Manila for helicopters. None had landed by midday. He said the province’s rescue budget was used up in September.

The water started to drop slowly after 1 p.m., leaving thick mud and debris. Officials are still counting who is missing. Roads remain closed. Another high tide is due tonight.