Vietnam races to prepare for Typhoon Wipha as Philippines suffers storm deaths

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam braced for Typhoon Wipha on Monday as coastal provinces were placed on emergency alert and airlines canceled flights ahead of the storm’s expected landfall early Tuesday.

The typhoon is forecast to bring powerful winds and heavy rainfall, raising the risk of flash floods and landslides in northern Vietnam’s mountainous areas and flooding in urban centers, including Hanoi.

“This is a very strong storm, moving fast, with a wide and dangerous impact on both land and sea,” Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a directive to government agencies. He ordered all fishing boats, cargo ships and tourist vessels to return to shore and urged the evacuation of people in high-risk areas.

The storm has already proved deadly in the Philippines, where it intensified monsoon rains and killed at least three people over the weekend, including one who drowned and two others struck by falling trees. Philippine officials were checking reports of three more deaths, while seven people, including two children, remained missing. Floods, landslides and debris affected over 800,000 people, with about 90,000 forced to evacuate, authorities said.

Hundreds of cruise ships have anchored in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay after authorities suspended all tourist boat services due to the storm. A tourist boat capsized there during a thunderstorm over the weekend, ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, killing at least 37 people. Ongoing bad weather is expected to complicate the search for the missing.

National carrier Vietnam Airlines and its affiliate Pacific Airlines canceled at least nine domestic flights on Monday, with more delays expected. Budget airline Vietjet canceled 12 flights including international routes to South Korea.

Local authorities have deployed rescue crews and stocked food and medical supplies while working to secure telecommunications infrastructure. State media reported nearly 150,000 hectares (370,658 acres) of aquaculture farms and more than 20,000 floating fish cages could be at risk from flooding and high winds.

Emergency warnings have been sent to millions of residents by text message. Forecasters expect Wipha to make landfall between Hai Phong and Thanh Hoa provinces early Tuesday, with wind gusts reaching up to 166 kilometers (103 miles) per hour.

Vietnam is no stranger to tropical storms. But climate experts said such storms were getting stronger due to global warming since warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel the storms. This results in increased wind speeds and heavier rainfall.

Last year, Typhoon Yagi killed about 300 people and caused $3.3 billion in damage, reducing GDP growth by 0.15%.

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Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

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