Tropical Storm Wipha makes landfall in Vietnam; heavy rains persist in Philippines
Wipha hit the northern provinces of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa early on Tuesday afternoon with wind speeds of up to 74 kph (46 mph), slowing from around 100 kph on its approach, the national weather forecasting agency said.
With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that are often deadly and Wipha is the first major storm to hit this year.
Heavy rains of up to 50 cm (20 inches) were forecast to continue until Wednesday morning, and authorities warned people to watch out for landslides in mountainous areas and flooding in urban areas. Around 350,000 soldiers were put on standby.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had put coastal provinces on emergency footing as Wipha neared, with residents nervous after the devastation of Typhoon Yagi, which last year killed around 300 people and caused $3.3 billion of damage.
"I have learnt from last year's mistakes, when we underestimated Yagi," Ngo Van Thuong, a 40-year-old warehouse manager in Ha Long City, told Reuters as the storm neared.
"Doorways and roofs are places that need more attention, and, since yesterday, I have also put sandbags on top of the roof," Thuong said.
A fishing boat in Quang Ninh province capsized early on Tuesday, but all nine of the fishermen on board were saved, the Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.
Airlines cancelled and rescheduled dozens of flights, and some airport, port and train services were suspended, though state media reported that airports in Quang Ninh and Haiphong had resumed operations on Tuesday afternoon.
Photos on state media showed empty streets in the capital in Hanoi, where many workplaces were closed on Tuesday, including the U.S. embassy.
"We haven't forgotten about Yagi, and have taken extra measures to cope with Wipha," said a resident of Cat Ba Island in Haiphong.
In the Philippines, Wipha has intensified already torrential monsoon rains, triggering knee- to waist-deep flooding across parts of the country and forcing a second day of school closures, flight cancellations and the suspension of government work.
Thousands of families remain in evacuation centres as relentless rains, which swept through the country's north last week, continue to batter the country.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., currently on an official visit to the United States, said government agencies had been mobilised to provide assistance.
"Relief goods are ready and are being delivered to affected areas, along with medical teams," Marcos said in a recorded message. "We're ensuring transport, electricity, and water supplies are stable for those affected."
On Sunday, Wipha, then at full typhoon strength, barrelled across Hong Kong and southern China. As the storm passed Hong Kong, more than 110 mm of rain fell within three hours and maximum wind gusts exceeded 167 kph at some points, prompting authorities to issue their highest storm warning.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Heavy rains in northern China kill 4 as Beijing and neighboring areas issue flood warnings
Heavy rains and flooding in northern China killed four people while others remain missing, officials said Monday, amid flood warnings and evacuations. The victims were caught in a landslide in a rural part of Luanping county in the province of Hebei, which borders the capital, Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Eight remain missing. A local resident told the state-backed Beijing News that communications were down and he couldn't reach his relatives. Hebei officials had issued flood warnings on July 25 due to heavy rains. Beijing and the neighboring city of Tianjin followed with their own warnings on Monday. In the district of Miyun, a suburban part of Beijing, floodwaters swept away parked cars in an apartment complex, according to CCTV footage. Officials told the Beijing Daily they had evacuated 4,015 people to avoid the floods and that there were no casualties as a water reservoir in the district recorded its highest water level since record-keeping began in 1951. In Tianjin, some 5,600 people were also moved elsewhere for fear of floods, reported CCTV. The meteorological bureau issued a warning Monday, saying that some places on the outskirts of Beijing could be hit with up to 25 cm (9.84 inches) of rain in one day. The central government said in a statement it had sent 50 million yuan (about $7 million) to Hebei and dispatched a high-level team of emergency responders to aid the affected cities, which include Chengde, Baoding, and Zhangjiakou. Beijing and Hebei suffered severe flooding in 2023.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Intense rains lash China swelling waterways, rivers; landslide kills four
HONG KONG, July 28 (Reuters) - Swollen rivers, waterways and reservoirs across China exacerbated flooding and landslides on Monday which killed at least four people, as authorities warned of more intense rains and heightened disaster risks in coming days. Forty one rivers across the country have flooded, CCTV said, citing China's Ministry of Water Resources. The Ministry said it had issued flood warnings for small and midsize rivers and mountain torrents. Heavy rains intensified around Beijing and surrounding provinces on Monday, including those in central China such as Hunan and northern Inner Mongolia. Four people died in a landslide in northern Hebei and eight people are missing. In the suburban area of Miyun in Beijing, more than 4,400 people have been resettled after flash floods and landslides floored many villages, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Images circulated on China's Wechat app showed areas of Miyun where cars and trucks were floating on a flooded road where water levels had risen so high that it had submerged part of a residential building. Electricity cuts are also affecting more than 10,000 people, in the area, CCTV said. Northern China has seen record precipitation in recent years, exposing densely populated cities, including Beijing, to flood risks. Some scientists link the increased rainfall in China's usually arid north to global warming. China's Central Meteorological Observatory said that heavy rainfall would continue to drench northern China over the next three days. Beijing issued its highest level flood alert on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency said. The storms are part of the broader pattern of extreme weather across China due to the East Asian monsoon, which has caused disruptions in the world's second-largest economy. Xiwanzi Village in Shicheng Town, near Miyun Reservoir, was severely affected, CCTV said on Monday with an additional 100 villagers transferred to a primary school for shelter. It comes after the maximum flood peak flow into the Miyun reservoir reached a record high of 6550 cubic meters per second, Beijing authorities said on Sunday. Two high-risk road sections have been sealed in Beijing's Pinggu district, authorities said. In neighbouring Shanxi province, videos from state media showed roads inundated by strong gushing currents and submerged vegetation including crops and trees. Shaanxi province, home to China's historic city of Xian, also issued flash flood disaster risk warnings on Monday. Authorities are carrying out search and rescue work across cities including Datong, where a driver in a Ford car has lost contact while driving in the floods, the People's Daily reported. Two were dead and two missing in Hebei province, CCTV said on Sunday morning. Overnight rain dumped a record 145 mm (5.7 inches) per hour on Fuping in the industrial city of Baoding. In Hunan's Liudiequan grand canyon in Chunkou town, water rose so rapidly on Sunday that a tourist was swept away, CCTV said. China's National Development and Reform Commission said on Monday that it was urgently arranging 50 million yuan ($6.98 million) to support Hebei. The funds would be used to repair damaged roads and bridges, water conservancy embankments, schools and hospitals in the disaster area. The NDRC said it was "promoting the restoration of normal life and production as soon as possible." Chinese authorities closely monitor extreme rainfall and severe flooding are, as they challenge the country's ageing flood defences, threaten to displace millions and wreak havoc on China's $2.8 trillion agricultural sector. ($1 = 7.1675 Chinese yuan renminbi)
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Closures planned to move pump after A421 flooding in Bedfordshire
Work to move a pumping station that flooded, causing a major road to become completely submerged, is entering its final phase.A section of the A421 in Bedfordshire was closed for nearly three weeks after torrential rain in September.A number of road closures will be in place during the summer as engineers move the pump system uphill. What happened to the A421? One of the key east-west routes linking the M1 near Milton Keynes to the A1 near Cambridgeshire was closed for three weeks in September after severe levels of up to 8ft (2.4m) were recorded on the stretch at Marston Moretaine, and National Highways teams cleared 72 million litres of equipment was used to clear the water - the equivalent of about 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools - before work began to resurface and repair the Fellows, regional director for National Highways, said: "I think it's important to recognise the disruption and inconvenience this issue has caused to drivers, local residents and those that rely on this section of road." Why did it flood so badly? Firstly, the region experienced extremely heavy rainfall in a very short space of time. In Bedfordshire, a month's worth of rain fell in under 46 and schools were closed and homes and businesses the A421, the pumping station at Lower Shelton - designed to prevent the road from flooding - became submerged and stopped could not remove the rising water, which settled like a lake under a bridge and across a significant stretch of carriageway. What is happening to the pumping station? National Highways decided to move the pumping station to a higher position to avoid the risk of future flooding."Relocating the pumping station to higher ground and the installation of a new pump will help prevent emergency road closures on the A421, benefiting road users and the local community," said Simon Amor, head of scheme began in February to replace the control system, which involved building new foundations further up the bank.A temporary safety barrier was erected on the eastbound entry slip road to allow the work to be carried out. What road closures are in place this summer? As workers install the new control system, a slip road onto the A421 will be closed to allow them to operate eastbound entry slip road at Marston Moretaine will be closed from 20:00 BST on Monday, 28 July through to 06:00 on Thursday, 31 same section will be closed during the same hours from Monday, 4 August to Thursday, 7 wanting to enter the A421 eastbound from Beancroft Road are asked to travel westbound along the A421 towards the M1 junction 13, then turn and head back in the easterly signs will be in Highways said once this phase is complete, they will need to close the A421 eastbound carriageway "to allow for safe removal of old equipment".This date will be confirmed nearer the time. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
