Typhoon Noru hit Vietnam’s central coast early Wednesday, the national forecaster said, bringing strong winds and heavy rain as hundreds of thousands of people fled to emergency shelters.
In Danang, Vietnam’s third-largest city, high-rise buildings shook under the strong gusts, which toppled trees and ripped off roofs from houses across the central region. Widespread power outages were reported.
“The position of the center of the typhoon at 4:00 am (2100 GMT) on September 28 is between Danang and Quang Nam,” the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasts said, adding that wind speeds were between 103 and 117 kilometers (64- 72 miles) lay ) per hour.
More than 200,000 people in Vietnam had taken shelter in emergency shelters overnight after forecasters predicted the storm would be one of the largest to hit the Southeast Asian nation.
Wind speeds were slower than initially feared, but forecasters said heavy rain would continue into the day and warned of landslides and severe flooding.
The Defense Ministry has mobilized some 40,000 troops and 200,000 militiamen equipped with armored vehicles and boats to prepare for rescue and relief operations, state media said.
Almost half of Vietnam’s airports were shut down, schools and offices in several central provinces – including in Danang – were shuttered and residents rushed to secure their homes on Tuesday.
The central section of the highway linking Hanoi in the north with the commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City in the south was also closed.
That comes after Super Typhoon Noru slammed into the Philippines earlier this week, killing six people.
Authorities said late Tuesday they had evacuated nearly 260,000 people from their homes, including in the popular tourist town of Hoi An, where residents were being taken to an elementary school.
“I wanted to go. My house is not very strong. I’m afraid its roof might be blown off when the typhoon hits,” Huynh Mua told AFP, clutching a plastic bag full of clothes, a blanket and several packets of instant noodles.
The roofs of 300 homes in coastal Quang Tri province were blown off late Tuesday as winds picked up speed. Trees were blown down in nearby Hue. In Danang, all shops and hotels were closed while residents were forbidden to go out into the streets.
Noru struck the Philippine island of Luzon on Sunday and Monday, downing trees, cutting off power and inundating low-lying communities.
Five rescuers were killed after being sent to help flooded residents, while another man died after being hit by a landslide. Officials estimate about $2.4 million worth of crops were damaged.