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Fishing boats seen in port after returning to avoid Typhoon Molave in Da Nang city, Vietnam, October 26, 2020. Tran Le Lam / VNA via REUTERS.
HANOI – Vietnamese authorities fought Tuesday to get more than half a million people out of harm’s way before a powerful typhoon that will bring more heavy rain in a central region devastated by weeks of intense weather.
Hundreds of flights were canceled and schools closed in affected areas as Typhoon Molave approached over the South China Sea, with winds of up to 165 kph (103 mph) and is expected to make landfall early Wednesday.
“We fear very seriously for the safety of millions of people, as many have already lost their livelihoods and homes in major floods,” said Nguyen Hai Anh, director of the Vietnam Red Cross.
“Now a large typhoon is hitting central Vietnam, giving no one time to recover,” added Anh, calling the typhoon the latest in the “most damaging series of storms we have ever seen.”
Molave will be the fourth storm to hit Vietnam in the past month, exacerbating a crisis that has killed 130 people in floods and landslides.
Vietnam’s disaster agency said 572,000 people had to be evacuated by 5pm (0900) on Tuesday. The day before, the government said it was preparing to relocate 1.3 million from the areas at risk.
State television broadcast images of troops helping the elderly onto buses and directing ships to disembark, while residents and soldiers stacked sandbags on roofs to protect themselves from the approaching strong winds.
Vietnam’s aviation authority has ordered the closure of six airports in provinces on the Molave road. It caused flooding and landslides when it hit the Philippines over the weekend, killing at least three, the Manila disaster agency said.
Vietnam’s prime minister said Molave would be one of the strongest storms in 20 years, comparing it to Typhoon Damrey three years ago, which killed more than 100 and damaged the property of some 22 billion dong ($ 949.3 million).
Molave is forecast to affect tourism infrastructure along the central beaches and the Dung Quat refinery in Quang Ngai province, while bringing heavy rains to the coffee-growing central highlands.
Coffee traders said such rain would hamper the harvest, which begins in October, and delay the drying process of the beans.
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