Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall Thursday north of Gia Lai province in central Vietnam, battering the region with powerful winds and heavy rain after killing more than 100 people and leaving dozens missing in the Philippines.
According to The Associated Press, the unusually strong November storm brought sustained winds of 183 kph (114 mph) and gusts up to 220 kph (137 mph) over the South China Sea, forecasters said.
Vietnam’s central provinces, already hit by record-breaking floods, are bracing for more than 600 millimeters (24 inches) of rain in some areas. Authorities said more than 537,000 people were evacuated from five provinces, including Hue, Da Nang, and Dak Lak, as floodwaters rose and landslides threatened.
Officials reported most of the deaths in the central Philippine province of Cebu, which was devastated Tuesday as Kalmaegi triggered flash floods and swollen rivers.
Three fishermen from Ly Son Island in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province went missing after their boat was swept away by waves. A search was launched but suspended due to worsening weather, state media said. Meanwhile, 61,000 boats carrying nearly 290,000 workers were guided to safety in Da Nang and Khanh Hoa.
Waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) pounded the coast, uprooting trees in Dak Lak and leaving homes in Quy Nhon without power for hours. In Ho Chi Minh City, authorities warned of flooding as high tides on the Saigon River combined with heavy rain.
Across the central Philippines, at least 114 people were confirmed dead and 127 missing in what officials called the country’s deadliest disaster of the year. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency Thursday.
In Liloan, Cebu, Krizza Espra visited a mortuary Thursday, where the bodies of her husband and three children were being held after their home’s roof collapsed. “I hope someone can help speed up the search,” she said.
The typhoon displaced more than 560,000 people in the Philippines, including 450,000 who took shelter in evacuation centers, officials said.
Among the dead were six people killed when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur while delivering aid to storm-hit areas. The cause of the crash was not released.
Kalmaegi dumped a month and a half of rainfall on metropolitan Cebu in just one day, state forecaster Benison Estareja said. Flash floods submerged homes and swept away vehicles, with residents stranded on rooftops as waters rose.
At least 71 people died in Cebu, mostly from drowning, and dozens remain missing or injured. Another 62 people were reported missing in Negros Occidental province nearby.
“We did everything we can for the typhoon but, you know, there are really some unexpected things like flash floods,” Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro said. She added that clogged rivers from quarrying and poor flood control projects may have worsened the disaster.
Cebu is still recovering from a September earthquake that killed 79 people and displaced thousands.
The Philippines faces about 20 typhoons each year, while Vietnam averages a dozen. Kalmaegi is the latest in a series of storms to hit Vietnam this year, following Typhoons Ragasa, Bualoi, and Matmo, which left more than 85 dead or missing.
Scientists warn that warming temperatures are making storms across Southeast Asia stronger and more frequent.
