Vietnam: Evacuations ordered for Typhoon Doksuri Sep. 14 /update 1

Event

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung ordered the mass evacuation of people in high-risk areas under threat from impending Typhoon Doksuri on Thursday, September 14. Doksuri is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam around 16:00 (local time) Friday, per the latest Vietnamese national weather forecast center reports. Typhoon Doksuri is currently packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 135 km/h (84 mph), and may possibly reach wind speeds of 150 km/h (93 mph) by Friday evening (local time).

State-run media reports that more than 100,000 people have been told to evacuate Vietnam's central provinces, including Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces. Areas expected to be particularly affected by Typhoon Doksuri also include Nghe An and Quang Tri provinces. Numerous flights have been canceled both to and from Vietnam's central provinces, and boats are forbidden from entering parts of the South China Sea in Doksuri's path. Expect heavy flooding, landslides, and consequent severe transportation disruptions in northern and central regions of the country in coming days.

Context

Doksuri is expected to be one of the strongest tropical cyclones to strike Vietnam and Laos in recent years. Typhoon Doksuri is the 10th tropical cyclone to form in the South China Sea this year, and struck the Philippines on Tuesday, September 12, as Tropical Depression Maring. At least four people were left dead and six others were missing in the Philippines following then-Depression Maring's landfall.

Vietnam's rainy season overlaps with much of the Southeast Asia typhoon season, lasting from around May to October, and regularly results in flooding in the country's north.

In 2016, ten typhoons and tropical depressions developed over the South China Sea, four of which hit Vietnam's mainland.

Advice

Individuals in Vietnam are advised to follow all instructions as issued by local authorities (e.g., evacuation orders) and follow local weather forecasts. In the event of further flooding, remember that driving or walking through running water can be dangerous; 15 cm (6 in) of running water is enough to knock over an adult.