Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall in Vietnam, bringing destructive winds and heavy rains

People watch rough waves caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi in Khanh Hoa

Typhoon Kalmaegi has made landfall north of Gia Lai province in central Vietnam, lashing the region with fierce winds and torrential rain after leaving more than 100 people dead and dozens missing in the Philippines.

An unusually strong storm for the region in November, it was packing sustained winds of about 183 kph (114 mph) with gusts reaching up to 220 kph (137 mph) over the South China Sea as it approached Vietnam, said forecasters.

Vietnam’s central provinces are already reeling from floods due to record-breaking rains. Kalmaegi is forecast to dump more than 600 millimeters (24 inches) of rain in some areas.

Bracing for Kalmaegi

In coastal cities like Danang, waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) high battered the coast and strong winds uprooted trees in Dak Lak province. Many homes in Quy Nhon, also a coastal city, were left without power for hours.

The country’s financial hub, Ho Chi Minh City, faces a heightened risk of severe floods. High tides were also expected on the Saigon River, and authorities warned up to 100 millimeters (4 inches) of expected rainfall could inundate low-lying areas.

Across the central Philippines, Kalmaegi killed at least 114 people and left 127 missing in what was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency yesterday.

After sowing death and destruction in the Philippines, especially in the hard-hit central province of Cebu, the tropical cyclone blew out of the archipelago on Wednesday into the South China Sea.

In Cebu’s town of Liloan, Krizza Espra went to the mortuary yesterday, where the bodies of her husband and three children, killed when their roof collapsed, were held ahead of a wake. She said four others in her family — including her mother and aunt — remain missing.

“I hope someone can help speed up the search,” she said.

The typhoon displaced more than 560,000 villagers in the Philippines, including nearly 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters, the Office of Civil Defense said.

Marcos’s “state of national calamity” declaration allows the government to disburse emergency funds faster and prevent food hoarding and overpricing. Disaster-response officials warned that another tropical cyclone from the Pacific could strengthen into a super typhoon and batter the northern Philippines early next week.

Among the deaths attributed to Kalmaegi were six people who were killed when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in the southern province of Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. The crew was on its way to provide humanitarian help to provinces battered by the typhoon, the military said. It did not give the cause of the crash.

Rampaging floodwaters submerged or swept away scores of vehicles in Cebu’s residential enclaves, in shocking scenes that were caught on camera by residents stranded on roofs.

At least 71 people died in Cebu, mostly due to drownings, while 65 others were reported missing and 69 injured, the Office of Civil Defense said.

Officials added that 62 others were reported missing in the central province of Negros Occidental, near Cebu.

A corruption scandal involving substandard or non-existent flood control projects across the Philippines has sparked public outrage and street protests in recent months. ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL & JIM GOMEZ, NHA TRANG, MDT/AP