Typhoon Kalmaegi Hits Vietnam After Devastating Philippines
Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall in Vietnam on Thursday, prompting authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and order residents to stay indoors. The storm arrived two days after sweeping through the Philippines, where it claimed at least 114 lives.
Storm Impact and Weather Conditions
The national weather forecaster reported that Kalmaegi brought winds reaching 149 kilometres per hour. The typhoon damaged roofs, uprooted trees and telegraph poles, and generated waves up to 10 metres (30 feet) high along the central coast.
Safety Measures and Evacuations
- Six airports were closed by officials.
- More than 260,000 people in Gia Lai province were evacuated to safe areas.
- The government deployed over 268,000 soldiers for search and rescue missions.
Warnings and Local Effects
Authorities warned of flooding in low-lying areas and damage to agriculture, especially in the Central Highlands, Vietnam’s primary coffee-producing region.
Hotels and homes near Cua Dai beach by the ancient UNESCO town of Hoi An were shut down in anticipation of the storm.
Aftermath in Coastal Regions
Near Hue, a coastal city still recovering from recent floods that killed 47 people, residents braced for another calamity.
"Kalmaegi will flood us for the fourth time and I am afraid it will be quite bad," said rice farmer Nguyen Van Rin, 42, who lost livestock and poultry in the previous floods.
He guided his boat across a flooded road as vehicles moved cautiously through the water.
Author's Summary: Typhoon Kalmaegi's powerful strike on Vietnam follows deadly destruction in the Philippines, with massive evacuations and ongoing fears of flooding in key agricultural regions.