The mopping up starts in the wake of ‘Doksuri’ in Vietnam

Typhoon Doksuri battered the central coastal areas of Vietnam with strong winds and heavy rains today, causing electrical blackouts, damage to houses and trees being uprooted and thrown around like toothpicks.

The high winds prompted mass evacuations after officials had predicted it could be the ‘most powerful storm in a decade’ to hit Vietnam.

The typhoon made landfall on the north-central coast around Nghe An at 10 this morning (September 15) with wind speeds up to 135 kilometres per hour. Trees were uprooted and authorities cut power in some areas to avoid accidents with many residents remaining at home and choosing to weather the storm.

Up to 400 millimetres of rain soaked the Vietnamese coastline, with possible flooding and landslides being carefully assessed by emergency authorities. Even areas to the north of the central region, as far up as the capital Hanoi, are expecting in excess of 200mm of rain.

One person has reportedly died in Hue province, just north of the seaside resort Da Nang. The man was swept away by a river following heavy rains in the area. A three year old has also been reported injured when the roof was blown off her house whilst she was inside.

Vietnamese air traffic has been thrown into confusion with 60 domestic flights by airlines VietJet, Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific being cancelled. Schools were closed for the day as authorities tried to evacuate more than 70,000 in the lead up to the storm’s arrival on the central coast.

Typhoon ‘Doksuri’ is the third major storm to smash into Vietnam this year. Last year storms killed 264 people. Vietnam’s central coastline opens to the South China Sea where many of the region’s tropical storms develop and gain power over the warm, tropical seas.