Xangsane Typhoon

Typhoon Xangsane has battered central provinces with heavy downpours, widespread flooding and damaging winds when it swept ashore on Sunday morning. According to the latest report, at least one person was killed, seven others were injured and 850 roofs of houses blown off in Da Nang city. High tidal surges of the Han River and torrential rains accompanied by strong winds flooded many parts of Da Nang city, bringing down power lines and trees and peeling off roofs. Several makeshift houses and restaurants on Son Tra and Dien Ngoc streets collapsed. Cleanup efforts got under way to remove fallen trees and ensure traffic flows. In Thanh Khe district, many roofs of people’s houses blew off, hundreds of big trees fell and several sections of main roads were 1m deep under water. According to the district’s authorities, most households in high-risk areas have been moved to safe areas. Power outages were reported in the ancient town of Hoi An and Dai Loc district in Quang Nam province. Two people were severely injured. The trans-national railway line and its communication system were paralysed. Six express trains had to stop traveling at stations in Lang Co (Thua Thien-Hue province) and Da Nang city. The special task force established under the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control asked local people to stay at home and warned Central Highlands provinces of landslides and flash floods. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung, who has been in Da Nang to help out with storm control measures, told VOV on Sunday morning that he has asked local administrations to prepare all means to cope with the typhoon, particularly for national key projects. In Quang Binh province, the typhoon directly hit Quang Trach, Bo Trach, Quang Ninh and Le Thuy districts and Dong Hoi city at 04.00am. It caused tidal waves of the Nhat Le coast to rise to 4-5m high, submerging many parts of the province. Quang Binh has planned to evacuate nearly 1,900 households from the areas vulnerable to severe flooding. But by Saturday afternoon, about 500 households had not yet moved. After striking the central coast, Typhoon Xangsane moved further inland and weakened a little. Nguyen Huu Hoai, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee expressed his concern over whether they could ride out the storm, and said the province would try its best to save local people in high-risk areas.