Super Typhoon Haiyan on Path, Vietnam Begins Evacuation

Local Editor

Vietnam has begun the evacuation of more than 100,000 people from the path of Super Typhoon Haiyan, following the storm's disastrous landing on the Philippines, where masses of people were killed.

Haiyan, which is one of the strongest storms on record, struck the Philippines on Friday, killing over 100 people and leaving a trail of destruction in the Southeast Asian country.

The storm is expected to make a landfall in central Vietnam early Sunday.

The Vietnamese daily Tuoi Tre reported on Saturday that authorities have started mass evacuations in central Danang and Quang Ngai provinces, as the country goes on high alert in the face of the intense storm.

The source also said that numerous schools in the affected area have been closed and people from low-lying coastal villages, which are vulnerable to the storm, are moving to temporary typhoon shelters.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung warned during an urgent meeting on Friday that Haiyan has the potential to bring about "complicated developments."

According to a notice posted on the government's official website, the premier called on all Vietnamese boats to return to shore and ordered hydropower reservoirs to increase safety measures "to limit the consequences in terms of human and materials."

The super storm is also expected to seriously affect China's southern coastal areas on its way.

Packing sustained winds of up to 320 km/h (199mph), Typhoon Haiyan left at least four people dead in Philippines, but it may be days before the full damage is known.

The storm ripped apart buildings and triggered landslides as it ploughed across the country's central islands. Officials said more than 12 million people were at risk, but the storm's rapid passing could limit its impact.

"We expect the level of destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan to be extensive and devastating, and sadly we fear that many lives will be lost," said Save the Children's Philippines director Anna Lindenfors.

Eduardo del Rosario, head of the disaster response agency, told the Associated Press that early evacuations and the speed at which the typhoon swept across the Philippines, may have helped reduce its destructive potential.
Lt Gen Roy Deveraturda, a military commander, echoed this view, telling the AP: "It has helped that the typhoon blew very fast in terms of preventing lots of casualties."

Meteorologists had earlier warned that the storm could be as devastating as Typhoon Bopha in 2012, which ravaged parts of the southern Philippines and left at least 1,000 people dead.

Source: Agencies