Vietnam evacuated more than 400,000 people ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Noru, the strongest the country has seen in two decades.
Noru is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam, bringing heavy rain, wind, flash floods and landslides to Danang and at least eight of the country’s central provinces. Two of those, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, are in the coffee-planting belt.
The National Committee for Disaster Response and Search Rescue said Noru is expected to be the strongest typhoon to hit the country in two decades. It also threatens to delay harvests in the world’s second-biggest coffee producer and top supplier of Robusta beans.
One of the nation’s two oil refineries, Dung Quat, lies in the path of the storm and said it has reinforced its defences. Ten airports were asked to shut while curfews were imposed in Danang and at least three other localities. The military mobilised more than 260,000 soldiers and 3,380 vehicles to help locals prepare for the storm’s arrival.
The typhoon, also known as Karding, slammed the Philippines earlier in the week, shutting schools, workplaces and the country’s stock exchange. At least five people were killed, while over 51,000 were displaced, according to national authorities. The UN office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs estimates that $2.5m worth of crops were destroyed.
Vietnam is preparing for the storm as Hurricane Ian strengthens in the Caribbean and may become the worst storm to hit Tampa in a century. Climate scientists have warned that increased frequency of extreme weather is one of the effects of global warming.
Bloomberg. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
