At 7 a.m., the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported a tropical depression over the northeastern area of the South China Sea with winds of 61 km/h and gusts up to level 9. It is moving southwest at 15 km/h. After weakening to level 6 overnight, the depression has intensified.
Moving at 15-20 km/h, the depression is expected to be over the Paracel Islands by 7 a.m. tomorrow, with sustained winds of level 7 and gusts up to level 9, moving west-northwest.
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Projected path of the tropical depression. Photo: NCHMF |
Projected path of the tropical depression. Photo: NCHMF
By 7 a.m. on 30/8, the tropical depression is predicted to maintain level 7 winds, with gusts increasing two levels, over the waters from Nghe An to Da Nang, before making landfall.
As the tropical depression is still far offshore, meteorologists have not yet forecast its specific impacts on land. The northern South China Sea (including the Paracel Islands) is experiencing strong winds of level 6-7, with gusts up to level 9, and waves of 2-4 meters. Vessels in this area are likely to be affected.
Three days ago, Typhoon Kajiki made landfall in the Thanh Hoa - Ha Tinh region with maximum sustained winds of level 10-11 and gusts up to level 13. It caused significant damage not only to north-central Vietnam but also brought heavy rain and subsequent flooding and landslides to northern Vietnam.
The Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported that as of 4 p.m. yesterday, the storm resulted in five fatalities, three missing persons, and 47 injuries. 32 houses collapsed, and nearly 31,100 houses had their roofs blown off, mainly in Ha Tinh province (nearly 25,000) with almost 4,000 houses flooded. 407 schools, 48 health facilities, 72 office buildings, and cultural structures suffered roof damage.
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The Trade Union Hotel in Ha Tinh had its roof blown off on the afternoon of 25/8. Photo: Nguyen Dong |
The Trade Union Hotel in Ha Tinh had its roof blown off on the afternoon of 25/8. Photo: Nguyen Dong
The storm also damaged approximately 95,000 hectares of rice paddies, primarily in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Ninh Binh, along with over 11,000 hectares of crops and 9,700 hectares of fruit trees. Over 53,000 livestock and poultry were lost, and 4,000 hectares of aquaculture and 274 floating cages were flooded or swept away.
Transportation authorities recorded 456 landslides in the provinces of Son La, Bac Ninh, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Tri, as well as damage to 13 bridges. The power grid was severely impacted, with 1.6 million customers losing power at the peak of the storm. This number decreased to 700,000 by last night.
Gia Chinh
