Typhoon Kalmaegi is pounding Vietnam, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and ordering people to stay indoors, two days after the storm began barreling across the Philippines, killing at least 114 people.
Kalmaegi – with winds of up to 149 km/h, according to the national weather forecaster – blew roofs off houses and toppled trees and telegraph poles.
It generated waves of up to 10 meters high when it hit the coast of the central region, the agency added.
Officials closed six airports and the government said more than 260,000 people in Gia Lai province had been moved to safety.
Kalmaegi is the thirteenth storm to hit Vietnam this year, and one of the most powerful.
The government said it had put more than 268,000 soldiers on standby for search and rescue operations.
It warned of flooding in low-lying areas and impacts on agriculture, including in the Central Highlands, the main coffee growing area.
As the storm approached, hotels and homes along Cua Dai Beach near the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hoi An Ancient Town were closed.
Near the coastal city of Hue, farmers were still recovering from this week’s floods that killed 47 people.
Rice farmer Nguyen Van Rin, 42, said the latest floods had drowned his livestock and poultry. “Kalmaegi will flood us for the fourth time and I’m afraid it will be quite bad,” he said after guiding his boat along a road as vehicles moved slowly through the water.
In the Philippines, the extent of Kalmaegi’s devastation became clearer on Thursday as floodwaters receded in the worst-hit province of Cebu, revealing flattened houses, overturned vehicles and streets littered with rubble.
127 people were still reported missing on Thursday. Efforts to distribute aid and find bodies were hampered by the extent of damage caused by Kalmaegi, the 20th storm to hit the Philippines this year.
The typhoon’s devastation in Cebu comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the resort island, killing dozens and sending thousands fleeing.
Forecasters were also monitoring a developing storm east of the Philippine island of Mindanao, which could develop into a typhoon and hit the country early next week.
Some people in Cebu returned Thursday to find their homes destroyed, while others began heavy cleaning, scraping mud from their homes and streets.
“Everything was destroyed. Only the floor remained. Everything was washed away. We have no belongings,” said Liza Becus as she returned to what was left of the hut she built in Talisay City, Cebu.
She collected metal and iron plates to sell so she could buy rice to feed her seven children.
“My children have nothing,” she said.
“Their uniforms, bags and all our belongings are gone.”
#Typhoon #Kalmaegi #hits #Vietnam #killing #people #Philippines