Haiyan, the 14th tropical storm hitting Vietnam this year, has caused at least 13 deaths and 81 injuries after making landfall in Haiphong City and Quang Ninh province late Nov 10, according to the National Committee for Search and Rescue. The powerful typhoon, packing destructive winds of nearly 200kph, weakened a bit and changed its course to north-central and northern coastal provinces instead of the south central localities as earlier forecast. Initial reports showed that Haiyan uprooted many big trees, blocking major roads in the inner city of Haiphong, peeling off dozens of houses, and knocking out power and communications in some areas in the neighboring province of Quang Ninh. The storm, accompanied by strong winds and heavy downpour, caused excessive property damage to north-central and northern provinces, including Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Quang Ngai. At 11:00 am on Nov 11, the storm, the most powerful one in Vietnam over the past decade, weakened and headed to China’s southern provinces. So far this year, the number of storms and tropical depressions hitting the country has climbed to 17, breaking the record of 16 set 49 years ago, said Deputy Director of the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Le Thanh Hai. Vietnam has decided to grant $100,000 as relief aid to Philippine victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which swept across central Philippines on Nov 9, killing over 10,000 people. (http://dantri.com.vn [1] Nov 11, vov.vn Nov 10)
