Hanoi, โVietnam – Vietnam is bracing for Typhoon Verbena just days after experiencing its deadliest flooding in recent years, which has already claimed at least 98 lives and left 10 peopleโฃ missing as of Tuesday, Novemberโข 25th, at 5:30 PM local time.
Typhoon Verbena entered the South China Sea onโค November 26th and is forecast toโ strengthen as โit moves across the central โportion of the sea on November 27th, according to The straits Times. Meteorologicalโ agencies in Japan and Hong Kong predict the typhoon will intensify over the next 24 to 48 hours.
The storm is expected to move westward and slow โขdown after November โ28th, weakening by the endโ of the week, but is currently tracking towards south-central Vietnam.This regionโ is already reeling from catastrophic flooding triggered by daysโค of heavy rainfall.
The flooding โhas impacted over โ202,000 homes, withโข more than 400 collapsing, resulting in economic losses exceeding 13.08 trillion Vietnamese dong (approximately USDโ 645 million). Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa โprovinces have suffered the highest number of casualties.
Authorities are warning that Verbena could bring widespread heavy rain beginning November 28th, raising fears of landslides and flash floods in areas already devastated by the recent flooding.
Vietnam’s 5th Military Region has mobilized in response. Colonel Phan daiโค Nghia, Deputy Commander andโ Chief of Staff, ordered a halt to non-essentialโข activities and โthe preparation of troops and equipment to assist affected residents. Border Guard Units are working with โคlocal โauthorities toโค ensure the safety of vessels and crews at sea, and to disseminate facts regarding the typhoon’s path.
Three work teams haveโค been dispatched to Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Khanh Hoa – the provinces most severely impacted by the flooding โข- to support prevention efforts and prepare for the approaching storm.
Colonelโฃ Nghia emphasized the need to learn fromโฃ past responses and prepareโ for extended โperiods of heavy rainfall due to โthe storm’s circulation, stating, “We must focus all resources on respondingโ to Hurricane verbena.”