Scenes of destruction emerged in the hardest-hit province of Cebu, a major tourist hub, as floodwaters receded, revealing the scale of the damage: homes reduced to rubble, overturned vehicles, streets choked with debris, and lives upended.

In Cebu City, 58-year-old Marlon Enriquez tried to salvage what was left of his family’s belongings as he scraped off the thick mud coating his house.

“This was the first time that has happened to us. I’ve been living here for almost 16 years, and it was the first time I’ve experienced flooding (like this),” he said.

Helicopter crash deaths

But not everyone had homes to return to.

In the neighbouring city of Talisay, 38-year-old Eilene Oken walked through what used to be her neighbourhood, only to find her home completely destroyed.

“We worked and saved for this for years, then in an instant, it was all gone,” she said, her voice breaking.

But Oken said she remains grateful because her family, including her two daughters, were unharmed.

Among the 85 fatalities were six military personnel whose helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur on the island of Mindanao during a humanitarian mission.

The disaster agency reported 75 people missing and 17 injured.

The devastation from Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, killing dozens and displacing thousands.

Storm expected to gain strength

The storm submerged homes and caused widespread flooding and power outages.

More than 200,000 people were evacuated across the Visayas region, including parts of southern Luzon and northern Mindanao.

Kalmaegi, the 20th storm to hit the Philippines, is forecast to gain strength while over the South China Sea.

It is on its way to Vietnam, where preparations are underway ahead of the typhoon’s expected landfall on Friday.

China has warned of a “catastrophic wave process” in the South China Sea and activated maritime disaster emergency response in its southernmost province of Hainan, state broadcaster CCTV said.

The report on Wednesday did not specify which coastal areas or parts of the sea would be affected, but China claims a number of islands in the vast waters, including the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands, which it says are administered by Hainan’s provincial government.

In September, Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across the northern Philippines, forcing schools and government offices to shut down as it brought fierce winds and torrential rain.