Typhoon Tembin

Posted by garakin on December 25th, 2017

Authorities in Vietnam have prepared to move a million people from low-lying areas along the south coast as a typhoon approached after it battered with floods and landslides that killed more than 230 people.

Typhoon Tembin is expected to slam into late on Monday after hitting the Philippines just before Christmas.

Vietnam’s disaster prevention committee said 74,000 people had been moved to safety from vulnerable areas, while authorities in 15 provinces and cities were prepared to move more than 1 million people.

The government ordered that oil rigs and vessels be protected and it said about 62,000 fishing boats should not venture out to sea.

“Vietnam must ensure the safety of its oil rigs and vessels. If necessary, close the oil rigs and evacuate workers,” the prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, was quoted as saying on a government website.

Schools were ordered to close in the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City on Monday, a working day in Vietnam.

On Sunday, Tembin hit the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, parts of which are contested by several countries, including Vietnam and China. No casualties were reported in outposts there

Vietnam, like the Philippines, is regularly battered by typhoons that form over the warm waters of the Pacific and barrel westwards into land. Tembin will be the 16th major storm to hit Vietnam this year. The storms and other disasters have left 390 people dead or missing, according to official figures.

In the Philippines, rescue workers were still struggling to reach some remote areas hit by floods and landslides that Tembin’s downpours brought, as the death toll climbed to more than 230. Scores of people are missing.

The full extent of the devastation was only becoming clear as the most remote areas were being reached.

Arturo Simbajon, a health worker, said nearly the entire coastal village of Anungan on the Zamboanga peninsula of Mindanao Island had been wiped out by a barrage of broken logs, boulders and mud that swept down a river and out to sea.

“Only the mosque was left standing,” Simbajon said. “People were watching the rising sea but did not expect the water to come from behind them.”

Manuel Luis Ochotorena, head of regional disaster agency, said he expected the death toll to rise. “Many areas in Zamboanga peninsula are still without power and communications, some towns are cut off due to collapsed bridges, floods and landslides,” he said.

Tens of thousands of people on Mindanao have been displaced by the storm, which struck late on Friday.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons a year and warnings are routinely issued. But disaster officials said many villagers had ignored warnings this time to get out coastal areas and move away from riverbanks.

In 2013, super-typhoon Haiyan killed nearly 8,000 people and left 200,000 families homeless in the central Philippines.

England have decided against making further changes, despite having already lost the Ashes, with Australia holding an unassailable 3-0 lead.

"This is the best side to win on this surface," said Root. "Other guys are looking for form, and looking to turn things round, and they have an opportunity to do that this week.

"It's a great opportunity on such a big stage. It's an Ashes Test, with so much to play for."

Australia have also been forced into a change as Mitchell Starc's heel problem has resulted in a recall for fellow paceman Jackson Bird.