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CatastropheVietnam

Tropical storm Noru hits Vietnamese coast

September 28, 2022

Vietnamese officials downgraded Typhoon Noru to a tropical storm as it made landfall around the city of Da Nang. Still, authorities warned of heavy rains, risks of flooding, and landslides.

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A man riding his bike in a flooded street in Hoi An city.
Heavy wind and rains started as Noru approached Vietnam after barreling through the PhilippinesImage: NHAC NGUYEN/AFP

Tropical storm Noru reached the Vietnamese coast on Wednesday, still packing winds of up to 117 kilometers (72 miles) per hour despite being downgraded from typhoon status by weather authorities in the country. The storm tore off the roofs of several homes and caused power outages in parts of central Vietnam.

Vietnam's government warned residents of flooding and landslide risks triggered by heavy rains. 

The resort city of Da Nang in Quang Nam province, also the home of the historic city of Hoi An, was in the center of the powerful storm's path.

Thousands in shelters while airports and highways closed

More than 300,000 people had taken refuge in shelters overnight anticipating landfall. People were told to stay off the streets of Da Nang late on Tuesday.

Residents sit in a primary school being used as a shelter during Typhoon Noru in Hoi An in Vietnam's Quang Nam province on September 27, 2022.
Anticipating even stronger winds on arrival than ultimately materialized, Vietnamese officials had tried to move hundreds of thousands of people to safer locations, like this primary school building in Hoi AnImage: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images

State media said that the Defense Ministry had mobilized around 40,000 soldiers and 200,000 militia members to use armored vehicles and boats to assist with rescue and relief operations if necessary. 

People living in less robust houses, in particular, have sought out shelter. According to the AFP news agency, roughly 300 houses in the coastal region of Quang Tri had their roofs blown off late on Tuesday as the storm approached and winds started picking up speed. 

Several airports in Vietnam have been shut. Schools and offices across several provinces were closed. The central section of the coastal highway linking Hanoi in the north with Ho Chi Minh City in the South — with Da Nang roughly the mid-point on this journey — was closed. 

In the tourist city of Hoi An, the Hoai River was close to bursting its banks, while the ground was littered with metal roof sheeting and fallen trees which had damaged cars and blocked roads.

"The typhoon was terrible last night. I could not sleep as the wind was so strong and loud," resident Nguyen Thi Hien told AFP.

Major damage, 6 dead in the Philippines

Still a super typhoon on arrival, Noru hit the Philippines' Luzon island on Sunday and Monday, toppling trees, knocking out power and flooding some low-lying communities. 

Five rescuers sent to help flooded residents were killed in the storm, while another man died in a landslide. Officials in the Philippines also reported considerable damage to crops.

msh/jsi (AFP, Reuters)