Tropical Storm Wipha struck northern Vietnam on Tuesday, causing heavy rain and strong winds in some of the country’s northern and central provinces. The storm landed at 10 am with 64-102 kph sustained winds and gusts of up to 138 kph (86 mph), local weather officials said. It started moving southwest after landfall.
Wipha was a typhoon on Monday when it passed over open sea but lost strength overnight and was reduced to a tropical storm before making landfall. The storm caused electricity to go out in Hung Yen Province, just east of Hanoi. People flocked to gas stations to purchase fuel for generators, state media said.
The streets of the capital city, Hanoi, were almost deserted as the storm tracked inland. All but a few businesses were shut down, and residents have been told by the city government to remain indoors and leave unstable buildings and flood areas.
“If the storm is severe, people should not go out anyway, because it will be dangerous on the road and there is a possibility of flooding,” Minh Doan, a taxi driver in Hanoi, said, according to the AP.
Rescue Operation Continues
Flights were cancelled in northern Vietnam, and airports in the port city of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh province were closed. About 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) of aquaculture farms and more than 20,000 floating fish cages were threatened by flooding and strong winds, according to state media.
In the Philippines, more than 80,000 people are still in makeshift emergency shelters following the storm, which flooded homes and triggered landslides and tidal surges over the weekend.
Most government offices and schools in the capital and 10 provinces remained closed on Tuesday as heavy monsoon rains caused widespread flooding. Drone aircraft airlifted villagers from knee-to-waist-deep water, and the coast guard sent buses and boats to help stranded motorists. At least three people have died.
Global warming is also increasing the intensity and humidity of storms like Wipha, said Benjamin P. Horton, dean of Hong Kong’s City University School of Energy and Environment. Warming oceans provide more fuel to tropical storms, resulting in stronger winds, more rain, and a shift in rainfall patterns across East Asia.
