As Super Typhoon Noru made its way into the bustling city of Danang on Tuesday, forecasters in Vietnam issued orders for hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes. They thought this storm would be one of the worst to ever hit the nation.
Before the typhoon’s anticipated arrival on Wednesday, over half of Vietnam’s airports have been shuttered, along with schools and workplaces in many central regions.
Noru was expected to make landfall as a super typhoon before 11 a.m. (0400 GMT) before weakening to a severe typhoon as it moved inland earlier this week, killing six people in the Philippines.
Vietnam’s flood and storm management agency predicted winds of up to 160 kph (100 mph), which would be on par with Typhoon Xangsane, which struck Danang in 2006 and killed 76 people.
400,000 people have been told by the authorities to abandon their houses, including those in Hoi An, a well-known tourist destination, where inhabitants were taken to a primary school.
“I desired to go. I don’t have a very sturdy house. When the typhoon strikes, I’m worried that its roof could be blown off,” Huynh Mua told AFP while holding a plastic bag filled with clothing, a blanket, and several packages of instant noodles.
The third-largest city in Vietnam, Danang, had all of its stores and hotels shuttered, and as of late Tuesday, locals were not permitted to venture outside.
Super Typhoon Noru will only be the sixth strong typhoon to strike Vietnam since 1945, according to information from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii.
On Sunday and Monday, the Philippine island of Luzon was struck by Naru, which uprooted trees, disrupted electricity, and flooded low-lying areas.
Five rescuers who had been dispatched to assist flooding people were murdered, while a second man died after being struck by a landslide. Crop loss cost an estimated $2.4 million, according to officials.
