Typhoon Noru leaves hundreds of thousands of homes without power in Vietnam after crashing through Philippines
- Nearly a quarter million people took refuge in shelters overnight, after forecasters predicted the storm would be one of the biggest to hit Vietnam
- Noru hit the Philippines earlier this week, knocking out power, damaging an estimated US$2.4 million worth of crops and killing six people
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In Da Nang, Vietnam’s third largest city, high-rise buildings shook in the strong gusts that toppled trees and tore roofs from homes across the central region. Large scale power outages were reported.
Noru’s eye struck the coast between Da Nang and Quang Nam at about 4am local time, with gusts as strong as 117km/h (73mph), according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. In the historic town of Hoi An, some streets were flooded and strong winds downed trees.
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Typhoon Noru knocks out power, floods streets in Vietnam
Local news website VnExpress reported that at least 550,000 households have lost power, citing the deputy general director of Vietnam Electricity Group’s Central Power Corporation, Le Hoang Anh Dung. No deaths had been reported as of Wednesday morning, although four people were injured in Quang Tri province. Three houses collapsed and more than 150 lost roofs, and more than 500 trees were toppled.
More than 200,000 people in Vietnam had taken refuge in shelters overnight, after forecasters predicted the storm would be one of the biggest to hit the Southeast Asian nation.
Wind speeds were slower than initially feared, but forecasters said heavy rain would continue into the day and warned of landslides and serious flooding.
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The defence ministry mobilised around 40,000 soldiers and 200,000 militia members, equipped with armoured vehicles and boats in preparation for rescue and relief operations, state media said.
Almost half of Vietnam’s airports have been shut, schools and offices across several central provinces – including in Da Nang – were closed and residents rushed to secure their homes Tuesday.
The central section of highway linking Hanoi in the north with commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City in the south has also been closed.
That came after Super Typhoon Noru slammed into the Philippines earlier this week, killing six people.
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Typhoon Noru’s deadly path through Philippines has damaged crops and triggered inflation fears
Authorities said late Tuesday they had evacuated nearly 260,000 people from their homes, including in the popular tourist city of Hoi An, where residents were brought to a primary school.
“I wanted to leave. My house is not very strong. I am afraid its roof might be blown away when the typhoon hits,” said Huynh Mua, clutching a plastic bag full of clothes, a blanket and several packets of instant noodles.
Three hundred houses in the coastal province of Quang Tri had their roofs blown off late on Tuesday as winds began picking up speed. In nearby Hue, trees were blown to the ground. In Da Nang all shops and hotels were closed, while residents were banned from going out on the streets.
Typhoon Noru slams into Philippines, killing 6 and forcing schools to close
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
