Storm Mindulle began to slam into the north-central region on the afternoon of August 24, with winds gusting up to 117kph.
It brought down big trees, tore the roofs off many residential houses, and submerged a lot of acreage planted in summer-autumn rice crops. It dumped between 150-260mm of heavy rains on provinces from Quang Binh to Nghe An. Heavy downpours caused water levels in major rivers in the region to rise, surpassing the first alert level at 16.00pm. It is expected that the water levels will continue to swell up and reach the second and third alert levels on August 25 when the storm moves further inland and weakens into a low pressure system.
In Quang Tri province, heavy rains and whirlwinds submerged 1,000ha of rice, injured three locals, blew off 22 roofs, and sank five fishing vessels.
The local administration has called in more than 2,300 vessels to return to storm shelters before Mindulle made landfall. It has also instructed relevant agencies to evacuate local residents from the low-lying areas and pump out rainwater to minimise possible losses.
In Ha Tinh province, the storm, accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains, tore off many roofs and flooded rice fields. Bui Le Bac, an official from the provincial committee for flood and storm control, said an upstream rainfall of between 220-260mm is threatening the lives of people living in flood-prone areas.
Provincial authorities have mobilized forces to work around the clock to evacuate people and provide necessary assistance to those in flooded or cutoff areas.
In Thanh Hoa province, tens of thousands of residents in low-lying areas have moved to concrete schools, State offices and high-rise buildings. Rescue forces have been dispatched to mountain areas to help with evacuation. People living in mountain areas are warned of landslides and flash floods when the storm sweeps through.
Mindulle is the third storm to hit Vietnam this year after Conson and Chanthu.
Source: VOV