Typhoon Damrey hits Vietnam
November 6, 2017 | Expert Insights
Typhoon Damrey that hit Vietnam has resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people.
In September the region was hit by one of the worst typhoons in over a decade.
Background
One of the worst typhoons to hit Vietnam in modern history was the Severe Tropical Storm Linda, which hit the region in 1997. It was formed in October 1997 in South China Sea and struck Vietnam in early November. It had winds as strong as 65 mph and it also dropped heavy rainfall. The storm also hit Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia but the worst affected region was Vietnam. Around 3,111 people died as a result of it in the region. The increased flooding also resulted in over 200,000 homes either being completely destroyed or damaged. The damage that occurred due to the storm was around $385 million. It also left 383,000 people homeless. The country was severely affected by the storm. The international community had to come together to send relief for the victims. This included medical relief efforts as well. In Thailand, Linda resulted in flash flooding. This resulted in the deaths of 164 people.
In September 2017, Vietnam and Philippines were hit by Typhoon Doksuri. It saw winds as strong as 150km/hr. Doksuri resulted in the deaths of 20 people in Vietnam. Overall, it resulted in the deaths of 36 people with 13 deaths in Philippines. In Vietnam alone, it caused damages worth $720 million. At the time it was described as the most powerful typhoon to hit Vietnam in a decade.
Analysis
Typhoon Damrey was a strong tropical cyclone that affected Vietnam in November 2017. It first originated on October 31st as a tropical depression over Visayas – a Philippine archipelago. It is the 23rd named storm part of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season. It emerged from the South China Sea a few days after it originated. On November 3rd, Damrey became the tenth typhoon part of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season. It also was declared Category 2. It made landfall over Vietnam during the next day as it rapidly weakened, and fully dissipated on November 5.
The typhoon hit southern and central Vietnam and resulted in deaths of close to 50 people. It also caused widespread damage as it tore off roofs, felled trees and ripped up electricity poles. Nearly 2,000 homes had collapsed and more than 80,000 had been damaged. Flooding led to a 30 km (19 miles) tailback on Vietnam's main north-south highway in Thua Thien Hue province.
"The floodwaters are rising very fast," said Dinh Cong Hoa, deputy commander of the provincial military command in Nha Trang, which bore the brunt of the typhoon. The country is all set to host Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next week. Danang, the city that is the venue of the event, has also been affected. U.S. President Donald Trump from Nov. 10, as well as China’s President Xi Jinping, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will be attending the event.
The government has said that more than 40,000 hectares of crops had been damaged, including sugar cane, rice fields and rubber plantations.
Assessment
Our assessment is that Typhoon Damrey will result in damages worth millions of dollars. As it was the case of hurricanes and Irma and Harvey, it will take months to rebuild its infrastructure.
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