Within the last few weeks, Vietnam has been hit by consecutive storms, and the extreme weather conditions aren't showing any sign of stopping soon.
Nguoi Lao Dong quotes an announcement from the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting confirming that as of this morning, October 20, a tropical depression that formed off the eastern coast of the Philippines has strengthened into a typhoon named Storm Saudel.
In the next 48 hours, the storm will move westwards into the East Sea. At 7am on October 23, Saudel will be directly over the Hoang Sa Archipelago with strong gales reaching 100–115 km/h. However, as it moves closer to Vietnam, it’s predicted to weaken until it hits the mainland on October 24; it’s unclear at the moment where exactly the storm will land.
According to Japan’s national forecasting agency, as quoted by Zing, Saudel is expected to be weaker than Noul and Nangka, though the agency warns that the typhoon will have an expansive area of effect, so stormy weather might be on the horizon for many localities across northern and central Vietnam.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and flooding persist in central Vietnam in one of the worst humanitarian crises the country has faced in recent years. Data from the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control shows that in the period from October 6 to 19, downpours and landslides have killed 102 people, while 26 others are still missing.
Thirteen national highways and numerous local roads in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces are out of service due to flooding or landslides. Since October 15, over 166,000 homes in the three provinces have been flooded.
[Image via Lao Dong]
