VietNamNet Bridge – At least three people were killed and no damage was reported when tropical typhoon Nock-Ten hit the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An on July 30.
According to the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, the storm landed in the mainland of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces on the evening of July 30, with a wind speed of 75-87 kph. Though it quickly weakened and moved towards the Lao border, the storm claimed at least three lives in Vietnam and caused losses to local properties and farm crops.

The victims included a 68-year-old man from Nghe An Province, who was electrocuted, a 60-year-old man from the northern mountainous province of Son La who was struck by lightning and a 13-year-old boy from Nghe An who died due to drowning.

The hardest hit province was Nghe An, where five houses and one schools had roofs blown away and over 3,500ha of rice and subsidiary crops were submerged.

The storm also damaged at least four fishing vessels, and caused one from the central Quang Ngai Province to sink near the Truong Sa (Spratlys) Archipelago. Twelve fishermen on board were expected to arrive home after being saved by Filipinos.

To cope with the storm, localities in the northern and central coastal provinces evacuated more than 44,000 people in the most vulnerable areas. Border guards and local authorities also helped over 32,000 fishing ships with nearly 127,000 crew to anchor in safe areas.

The storm brought heavy rains to some central provinces, with rainfalls of up to 200-300 mm being recorded in some towns and districts in Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces.

In Ha Tinh province, whirlwinds destroyed 62 houses, hundreds of trees and tens of hectares of crops.

In the northern port city of Hai PHong, Cat Hai town was flooded. In Do Son town, waves of tens of meters high broke over 600m of stone embankment of a resort. Sea water flooded the town.

The storm did not cause heavy losses for Vietnam because before the storm landed, some provinces had evacuated their people to safe places and guided boats at sea to safe areas.

Tropical storm Nock-Ten weakened into a tropical low pressure but authorities are still on high alert as floods are expected in various areas due to ongoing torrential rain.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has issued a warning on potential flooding of rivers from Thanh Hoa to Ha Tinh provinces in the central region.

The center said heavy rains triggered by the storm could last for about two days in northern and central provinces. Landslides and flash floods were likely to occur in mountainous and low-lying areas in provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh.

The centre also forecast another low pressure system developing in the northern East Sea, which is expected to grow in intensity into a tropical low.

Due to the storm, Vietnam Airlines cancelled 30 flights on July 30, including 26 domestic flights and two along the LuangPrabang and Siem Reap, Cambodia routes.

In related news, a rainstorm with a wind velocity of 40-62 kph lashed HCM City on July 30, injuring two people, uprooting numerous trees, and damaging many houses and vehicles. The rainstorm also caused delay to many ferries at the Cat Lai Quay in District 2.

Waves of dozens of meters high in Do Son town, Hai Phong city:


PV