After wreaking havoc on the Philippines where it killed 13 people, Typhoon Nari made landfall this morning in central Vietnam, causing massive flooding, power outages and destruction of property.
Even before Nari had made landfall, its preceding 102 kph winds knocked out power to all of Da Nang at 8pm last night, the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center reported.
The Associated Press quoted Vietnamese officals who said they planned to evacuate 180,000 residents in threatened areas including popular hotels in the tourist hotspot, Hoi An.
Torrential rains have inundated the country's central costal region, uprooting trees, blowing roofs off houses and knocking over electrical lines.
Flood waters have hit 373 mm in Quang Ngai province’s Ly Son Island, 246 mm in Nam Dong (Hue), and 220 mm in Tam Ky (Quang Nam).
According to Tuoi Tre, all of Da Nang is flooded and homes and restaurants have collapsed.
Beyond flooded streets, Thanh Nien is reporting that Da Nang's airport has been shut down, stranding over 2,000 passengers while rail service suspended due to debris blocking the tracks.
Earlier this morning, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, updated the press on the situation adding that 11 people have be injured in Da Nang thus far.
[Photo via Spreng Ben]
