At least five individuals lost their lives in Vietnam following the onslaught of Typhoon Kalmaegi, which unleashed destructive winds and heavy rainfall along coastal areas, as per officials on Friday. The storm hit central Vietnam late Thursday, causing tree uprooting, home destruction, and power outages 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 highlighted the potential for flooding and landslides due to rising river levels from Hue to Dak Lak.
In Gia Lai province, where the typhoon hit hardest, shrimp farm owner Nguyen Dinh Sa reported devastating losses, with approximately six metric tons of shrimp destroyed. Sa expressed despair over the loss of all his investments, as his two-story warehouse used for storing shrimp feed was briefly submerged by seven-meter-high waves and strong winds.
The coastal areas bore the brunt of the typhoon’s impact, resulting in fallen trees, scattered glass and roofing sheets, and residents relying on generators to recharge their phones. Vietnam’s disaster management agency reported seven injuries and around 2,800 damaged homes, with 1.3 million people left without electricity.
The state-run Vietnam News Agency noted that the railway in Quang Ngai suffered damage. The government mobilized over 268,000 soldiers for search-and-rescue missions and cautioned about potential flooding that could affect agriculture in the Central Highlands, a key coffee-growing region in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited evacuation centers in Cebu, providing relief aid and assuring victims of continued government assistance following Kalmaegi’s impact, which left 135 people missing and 96 injured.
Typhoon Kalmaegi marks the 13th storm to develop in the South China Sea this year. Both Vietnam and the Philippines face high vulnerability to tropical storms and typhoons due to their locations along the Pacific typhoon belt, often experiencing damage and casualties during peak storm seasons.
The civil aviation regulator in the Philippines has placed all area centers and airport operations on high alert in anticipation of Typhoon Fung-wong, which is anticipated to strengthen into a super typhoon before hitting northern Philippines on Sunday evening or early Monday morning, potentially affecting Manila and surrounding regions.
