Thursday, October 4, 2007

Typhoon Lekima pounds central Vietnam

Terra Daily, via Agence France-Presse: Typhoon Lekima smashed into central Vietnam overnight, flooding thousands of homes, disrupting air travel and power and leaving at least two people dead, officials said Thursday. Packing maximum sustained winds of 117 kilometres (72 miles) an hour, the typhoon made landfall in central provinces where tens of thousands of people had already been evacuated in advance.

…"Thanks to good preparation, especially in evacuating people, the consequences caused by the typhoon seem to be not considerable," said Bui Le Bac, head of a provincial flood and storm control committee. He told AFP that because the epicentre hit a district of vast rice fields, "human loss and injuries were limited." Classes had been suspended in several towns and their schools turned into temporary shelters for local residents.

On Tuesday, at least 96,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas. Officials had earlier said they had begun evacuating about 200,000 people but that was lowered as the typhoon changed direction. Scores of domestic flights were cancelled or postponed, the Tuoi Tre daily reported….

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