Fifteen dead in Vietnam after days of torrential rain; Typhoon Sarika lashes Philippines, killing at least two
Hanoi, Reuters, Oct. 16, 2016 – Typhoon Sarika moved off the coast of the main Philippine island of Luzon and headed toward Vietnam, where at least 15 people have already been killed in flooding caused by days of torrential rain.
The powerful storm, known locally in the Philippines as Karen, had intensified as it entered the South China Sea, with sustained winds of about 175 kilometers (110 miles) an hour, and was traveling westward at 24 kilometers an hour, according to the government’s weather agency.
The Philippine disaster agency said at least two people died as a result of the typhoon, which knocked out power, tore the roofs off houses, toppled trees and cut off villages as it crossed a heavily agricultural area of Luzon. About 200 flights have been canceled since Saturday night, while thousands of people were stranded in various seaports because of rough seas.
Sarika dumped the equivalent of a month’s rain in some areas of the Philippines.
President Rodrigo Duterte was proceeding with his scheduled trip to Brunei on Sunday, the government said. From there, Mr. Duterte will travel to China.
A schoolgirl is seen among others who are wading through flooded Tan Hoa Dong Street in Binh Tan District.
Weather bureau Pagasa said another tropical cyclone, Haima, was expected to reach the far north of the Philippine archipelago late Wednesday or early Thursday, and could follow the track of Sarika. On Sunday, Haima, set to be known locally as Lawin, had sustained winds of 105 kilometers an hour at its center but the storm could intensify as it moves across the Pacific Ocean.
In central Vietnam, a tropical low pressure event last week triggered heavy rain in several coastal provinces, with amounts ranging from 300 to 900 millimeters (1 to 3 feet) over the past three days, the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said Sunday.
Vietnam braced for more flooding
Quang Binh province suffered the heaviest casualties, with nine people, including two children, reported dead, most from drowning, the department said. In all, at least 15 people were killed and nine others were missing, it said.
The floods inundated about 100,000 houses and more than 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) of rice and other crops, and damaged roads and bridges, it said, adding that roads to several villages were cut off.
Local media reports said the floods were the worst in central Vietnam since 2011, when nearly 60 people were killed.
The rain subsided Sunday but officials warned of more floods as Typhoon Sarika headed into the South China Sea.
The storm was forecast to be about 350 kilometers (217 miles) east of the Paracel Islands by Sunday night local time, the department said.
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung late Saturday called on provinces in central Vietnam to mobilize forces to search for missing people and work out evacuation plans before the typhoon makes landfall.
