Rescue and aid teams in central Vietnam are racing to reach isolated communities battered by floods and landslides, which have claimed at least 37 lives, as officials warned on Monday of another powerful typhoon set to make landfall later this week.
Record rainfall since late October has unleashed flash floods and devastating landslides, inundating villages, sweeping away homes, and displacing tens of thousands. Many areas, including Danang, remain without power or data networks. Canals, riverbanks, and coastlines have also eroded, with several national highways still blocked.
Adding to the crisis, Typhoon Kalmaegi is predicted to strengthen rapidly as it tracks towards Vietnam’s central coast. Forecasts from Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting indicate winds could reach 166 kph (103 mph) by Wednesday as it enters the South China Sea, after crossing the Philippines.
Rescuers reached many stranded residents late last week as floodwaters briefly receded, but by Monday morning rivers were rising again. The Huong and Bo rivers in Hue City reached dangerous levels, and officials warned that heavy rain is expected to continue across the region, state media said.
State media said authorities sent food, clean water, medicine and shelter while helping families rebuild damaged homes. Teams worked to clean debris, restore power, water and transport links and prevent disease outbreaks. The government was also repairing irrigation systems and supporting farmers to restart crop and livestock production as floodwaters recede.
The death toll from the most recent floods and landslides rose to 37 on Monday, with five people missing and 78 injured, officials said.
Vietnam has been pummeled by a relentless series of storms this year, leaving little time to recover between disasters. Typhoon Ragasa dumped torrential rain in late September, then Typhoon Bualoi slammed the central coast and Typhoon Matmo resulted in flooding in the north.
Together, the three storms had left more than 85 people dead or missing in two weeks, and caused an estimated $1.36 billion in damage.
Vietnam is among the world’s most flood-prone countries, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods like this year’s increasingly destructive and frequent.
Before it reaches Vietnam, Typhoon Kalmaegi will make landfall in east-central Philippines where mass evacuations have been ordered for tens of thousands of people. Fishermen have been prohibited from venturing out to sea as officials warned of torrential rains and potentially deadly storm surges of up to three metres (nearly 10 feet).
The typhoon is expected to blow westward overnight and on Tuesday, battering central island provinces. This includes Cebu, still recovering from a 6.9-magnitude earthquake on 30 September that left at least 79 dead and displaced thousands after their homes collapsed or were severely damaged.
Kalmaegi, locally named Tino, was forecast to strengthen further over the Philippine Sea before making landfall in Guiuan town or nearby municipalities. Eastern Samar Governor RV Evardone confirmed mandatory evacuation orders were issued from Monday, with army troops, police, firefighters, and disaster-mitigation contingents mobilised to assist.
More than 70,000 people in the coastal towns of Guiuan, Mercedes and Salcedo were ordered to move to evacuation centers or concrete houses and buildings certified as sturdy enough to withstand the impact of the typhoon. The coastal areas were warned of tidal surges of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) high, Evardone said.
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones on record, slammed ashore into Guiuan in November 2013 then raked across the central Philippines, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattening entire villages and sweeping scores of ships inland. Haiyan demolished about a million houses and displaced more than 4 million people in one of the country’s poorest regions.
“Nobody’s complaining among the residents because of their experience with Yolanda. They know it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Evardone told The Associated Press, referring to Haiyan’s Philippine name. “They then saw bodies scattered everywhere on streets. Many lost everything.”
Thousands of villagers were also being evacuated from island provinces near Eastern Samar ,officials said, and disaster-response agencies, including the coast guard, have been put on alert.
The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. It is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
Vietnam leader’s visit overshadowed by ‘interrogation’ of BBC journalist
Philippines officials urge calm as fears grow over possibility of massive earthquake
Thailand and Cambodia remove heavy weapons from border after extending truce
Bali halts construction of glass lift at iconic Kelingking beach after public outcry
Three women faced prison for pro-Palestine march. Then the extraordinary happened
Popular Thai herbal inhalers recalled after contamination warning
