Hanoi/Beijing
Reuters
–
Vietnam announced plans to evacuate more than half a million people and ordered boats to be kept on land. Meanwhile, the southern Chinese city of Sanya closed businesses and public transport on Sunday as it had a heavy typhoon, swordfish.
The storm is projected to have “bygo” the southern coast of the Chinese island coastal province from Sunday evening before heading to Vietnam, China’s National Weather Centre said.
At the time of 0900 GMT, the storm gained strength, with winds reaching 166 kph (103 mph), according to Vietnam’s National Weather Forecasting Agency.
A Chinese weather forecaster said it is likely to further strengthen the wind speed at 180 kph.
Vietnamese authorities plan to evacuate more than 586,000 people from the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Hue and Da Nang.
Those on the projected path should not go outside after 1400 GMT on Sunday, and soldiers will stand up to help, the government said.
Vietnam’s seven coastal provinces banned them from leaving the coast early on Sunday, Tien Huong newspaper reported.
Vietnam Airlines cancelled at least 22 flights between Central City on Sunday and Monday. Vietjet Aviation said it would cancel or delay the flight, but did not provide details.
China’s Sanya, famous for its beach resorts and sandy beaches, closed tourist attractions, closed businesses and public transport have been suspended.
China’s weather agency is forecasting heavy rain and strong winds in Hainan and nearby Guangdong and Guangzhou regions, with the Hainan region expected to receive 320 mm (12.6 inches) of rain from Sunday to Monday.
Sanya issued a red typen alert on Sunday morning (the highest in China’s color-coded warning system) and raised emergency response to the most serious levels, according to a post on the local government’s WeChat account.
City officials convened a meeting on Saturday evening to encourage preparation for a “worst scenario,” the government said.
All classes and construction have been suspended, and shopping centres, restaurants and supermarkets have been closed from Sunday. The vessel is ordered to halt operations in the waters of Sanya.
Record rainfall since July has hit the north and south of China, as meteorologists have described it as extreme weather related to climate change.
Natural disasters, including floods and droughts, caused China’s direct economic losses to 521.5 billion yuan ($7.28 billion) last month, affecting millions of people, leaving 295 deaths or shortages, data from the Ministry of Emergency Management showed.
The Vietnamese government compared the strength of a marlin to the strength of a goat. It struck the country a year ago, killing about 300 people and causing $3.3 billion in property damage.
