At least five individuals lost their lives in Vietnam as Typhoon Kalmaegi wreaked havoc on coastal areas with strong winds and heavy rainfall, as per officials on Friday. The storm struck central Vietnam late on Thursday, causing tree uprooting, house damage, and power disruptions before weakening as it moved inland.
Authorities issued warnings of ongoing heavy rainfall reaching up to 200 millimeters in central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri. They also alerted about rising river levels from Hue to Dak Lak that could lead to flooding and landslides.
In Gia Lai province, severely affected by the typhoon, shrimp farm owner Nguyen Dinh Sa suffered significant losses. Sa, aged 26, expressed despair over losing approximately six metric tons of shrimp despite his efforts to save them. The destructive impact submerged Sa’s two-story warehouse used for storing shrimp feed due to high waves and strong winds.
The typhoon caused extensive damage along the coast, including fallen trees, shattered glass, and roofing materials scattered around. Residents gathered around generators to recharge their phones amid the aftermath.
Vietnam’s disaster management agency reported seven injuries and around 2,800 homes damaged, with approximately 1.3 million people facing power outages. The state-run Vietnam News Agency highlighted railway damage in Quang Ngai. The government mobilized over 268,000 soldiers for search-and-rescue missions and alerted about potential flooding that could affect agriculture in Vietnam’s primary coffee-growing region, the Central Highlands.
In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited evacuation centers in Cebu, distributing relief supplies and ensuring continued government assistance after Kalmaegi left 135 individuals missing and injured 96 others.
Typhoon Kalmaegi marks the 13th storm formed in the South China Sea this year. Both Vietnam and the Philippines are prone to tropical storms and typhoons due to their locations along the Pacific typhoon belt, regularly experiencing significant damage and casualties during peak storm seasons.
The Philippines’ civil aviation regulator heightened alert levels for all area centers and airport operations in anticipation of Typhoon Fung-wong, expected to escalate into a super typhoon before hitting northern Philippines on Sunday night or early Monday morning. The forecast indicates potential landfall in northern Aurora province, with potential impacts on the densely populated Manila capital region.
