Damrey to slam into southern Vietnam as strongest typhoon in 16 years
Typhoon "Damrey" is expected to slam into southern Vietnam around UTC midnight on November 4 (07:00 local time) with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (86 mph), likely the strongest typhoon to make landfall over southern Vietnam in 16 years. This tropical cyclone is expected to have a high humanitarian impact based on the storm strength and the affected population in the past and forecasted path. Up to 2.4 million people can be affected by wind speeds of cyclone strength or above.
Authorities in Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, provinces that are likely to be affected by the typhoon, have developed plans to evacuate a total of 389 143 people, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Earlier on Thursday, the search and rescue committee in Phu Yen already evacuated 759 households with 1 958 residents in flooded areas to safe places, Tuoi Tre News reports.
In the meantime, the command of the Vietnamese border defense unit said on Friday morning it has briefed 385 911 people working on 79 182 boats of the storm’s movement and direction, as well as providing them guidance to stay safe during the extreme weather.
Typhoon "Damrey" at 08:10 UTC on November 3, 2017. Credit: JMA/Himawari-8 (CIRA)
At 15:00 UTC on November 3, the center of Strong Typhoon "Damrey" was located about 280 km (174 miles) east of Ninh Hoa and NHA Trang, Vietnam. The typhoon is moving westward at 22 km/h (14 mph) with maximum sustained winds of 157 km/h (98 mph) and gusts to 167 km/h (103 mph), according to JTWC. This makes Damrey a Category 2 hurricane equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
On the current forecast track, the center is expected to pass somewhere near or over Van Tho, Van Gia and Ninh Hoa, southern Vietnam with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h (86 mph), making it a Category 1 hurricane equivalent on the Saffir-Simpson scale. In addition, Damrey will bring widespread flooding rain and dangerous storm surge.
This tropical cyclone is expected to have a high humanitarian impact based on the storm strength and the affected population in the past and forecasted path, GDACS warned. Up to 2.4 million people can be affected by wind speeds of cyclone strength or above.
Damrey will be the 12th typhoon to hit Vietnam this year, but will very likely be the strongest to hit southern Vietnam since Category 2 Typhoon "Lingling" in November 2001.
After traversing Vietnam, the cyclone will hit Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Featured image: Typhoon "Damrey" at 14:30 UTC on November 3, 2017 with forecast track by JTWC at 12:00 UTC. Credit: UW-CIMSS
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