La Union Province in the Philippines on Friday declared a state of calamity amid severe impacts of Typhoon Co-may which made landfall twice near the province.
Typhoon Co-may, the eighth typhoon of the year, made the first landfall on Thursday night in the town of Agno in Pangasinan Province in the Philippines, with winds reaching speeds up to 120 kilometers per hour. At around 05:10 Friday morning, it made the second landfall in Ilocos Sur Province, bringing high winds and heavy rains.
La Union province, located right between the two landfall locations, was greatly affected by the typhoon.
In San Juan, a coastal municipality in the province of La Union, trees were uprooted, power supply was cut off, and houses were damaged.
Continuous rainfall has delayed repairs, forcing technicians to wait for clearer weather. Several streets in the city's downtown area were flooded, disrupting local traffic.
The province declared a state of calamity on Friday to expedite emergency response efforts and facilitate access to necessary resources and emergency funds.
"The electric company is well informed of the situation. We already requested that San Juan should be priority because we are one of the main tourism spots in La Union. So we are hoping that the water as well would be good for consumption of the people and the internet as well," said Gino Mabalot, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of San Juan.
Co-may weakened further from a tropical storm into a tropical depression as of 02:00 on Saturday, then left the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 07:10, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration.
Devastating typhoon places Philippines' La Union province under state of calamity
Devastating typhoon places Philippines' La Union province under state of calamity
Devastating typhoon places Philippines' La Union province under state of calamity
Li Yuhua, a farmer-turned forest ranger from a mountainous village in Dulongjiang Town, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has spent nine years protecting the forests in her hometown while helping local people increasing their incomes.
Li's family was once a registered impoverished household, relying mainly on corn farming for living. Things began to change for her family in 2016 when China launched a policy allowing registered impoverished population to work as ecological forest rangers, and Li became one of the first ecological forest rangers in the town.
"When I first began to work as a forest ranger, it was hard for me even to climb mountains, let alone climb rocks and cross rivers. But I told myself that since the country gave me this opportunity, I must do it well. I worked hard to improve my physical fitness and learn new skills, always actively taking the missions of patrolling mountains," said Li.
As Li often wears a colorful, vibrantly striped "Dulong blanket," a traditional clothing of the Dulong ethnic group, the villagers call her the "rainbow ranger."
"I think the name 'Rainbow Ranger' is beautiful. It makes me feel like a rainbow for us women of Dulong ethnic group guarding our homeland," Li said.
Dulong is a mountain-dwelling ethnic group in southwest China. It is one of the least populous of China's 56 ethnic groups, and the people were known for "direct transition" from primitive life to the modern socialist society at the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Most Dulong people live in Dulongjiang Town, where an inhospitable mountainous terrain used to thwart the place's development for decades. The town remained to be one of the poorest areas in Yunnan Province and even in the entire country. Thanks to government inputs and the development of industries with local features, the Dulong people have been experiencing remarkable life changes. In 2018, the Dulong ethnic group shook off poverty as a whole.
Beyond safeguarding forests, Li took the lead in developing non-timber forest-based economy in the town, guiding local residents to grow plants like Chinese black cardamom and wild-simulated lingzhi mushrooms as well as raising cattle and bees.
In 2025, the total output value of the town's non-timber forest-based economy reached nearly 30 million yuan (around 4.3 million U.S. dollars), with the annual average income of 43 households increasing by more than 20,000 yuan (around 2,900 U.S. dollars) each.
Li also established a cooperative for Dulong blanket making, attracting more than 170 women to learn traditional weaving techniques. They have developed 12 types of cultural and creative products, including shawls and scarves, and sold them worldwide through livestreaming, generating wealth for themselves.
"In the past, we only wove blankets for our own use. Now she teaches us to make the cultural and creative products and sell them. Last year, I earned more than 4,000 yuan (around 580 U.S. dollars) from weaving. I spent the money on my children's school fees and new appliances for my house," said Mu Jianying, member of the cooperative.
Li's dedication to both forestry and rural revitalization has earned her widespread recognition. In 2024, she was honored as model of ethnic solidarity and progress and received the title certificate from President Xi Jinping. She was also awarded the title of National March 8 Red-Banner Pacesetter, the highest honor presented by the All-China Women's Federation to the country's outstanding women, ahead of the International Women's Day observed on March 8.
Li said her achievements are the result of collective efforts.
"I often think that one person's strength is very limited, but the strength of a group is great. There are 195 ecological forest rangers like me protecting this land in the Dulongjiang Grand Canyon," she said.
As a female forest ranger, Li shared a message for women ahead of the International Women's Day.
"To mark the International Women's Day, I want to say to all my sisters: No matter what position we are in, as long as we are willing to endure hardship and work hard, we will surely weave our own rainbow," she said.
Forest ranger dedicated to guarding green mountains in Yunnan
Forest ranger dedicated to guarding green mountains in Yunnan
