"Damrey" made landfall at southern Vietnam on Saturday, November 4, with winds of up to 90 km/h, killing at least 61 people and leaving another 28 missing.
The typhoon made landfall near the coastal city of Nha Trang as a Category 2 hurricane, bringing heavy rains and high winds that damaged about 80,000 houses and caused widespread power outages. It was the strongest storm to hit that part of the country in 16 years and the 12th major storm to hit Vietnam this year.
According to the state's Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention, about 2,000 houses have collapsed entirely, while more than 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate. They said that some of the typhoon's victims were in vessels that capsized at sea, while others were killed in landslides. More than 40,000 hectares of crops have been seriously damaged, including sugar cane, rice fields and rubber plantations.
The worst affected in terms of winds was the city of Nha Trang and its surrounding communities. In terms of heavy rain, flooding and landslides, the area most affected expanded north across central Vietnam and into Laos. Nearly 255 mm of rain was measured in Qui Nhon within 24 hours (ending Saturday evening, local time). During the same period, 130 mm was recorded in Nha Trang and 102 mm in Da Nang. Most deaths occurred in coastal Khanh Hoa province, where heavy rain and winds of 130 km/h tore through the region.
The government said that some reservoirs were dangerously near capacity after persistent rain. Ministers said that because some dams were so full, water might need to be released to relieve pressure - potentially worsening flooding downstream.
According to the national disaster agency forecast, heavy rains are expected to last until Tuesday, November 7, and flooding might get worse. After traversing Vietnam, the cyclone will hit Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Sources: Reuters, The Watchers
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