The super typhoon that devastated the Philippines over the weekend has been downgraded to a severe tropical storm Monday after making landfall in Northern Vietnam.
The fomerly-Category Five storm, Haiyan, was still carrying gusts of wind up to 157km/h as it arrived on the mainland near one of Vietnam’s popular vacation destinations, Ha Long Bay.
Officials in the Philippines are still trying to get a clear picture of the the death toll and the damage left after the potentially record-breaking storm hit the island group late Friday. An estimated 10,000 could be dead, with 2 million affected by the storm.
Vietnam evacuated nearly 600,000 from high risk areas from the central provinces in preparation for the storm. Heavy rainfall and high waves are still a concern in many areas — while Haiyan has weakened significantly since hitting the Philippines the storm system picked up moisture as it traveled over the ocean. A 48-hour accumulation of 100 mm to 200 mm of water is expected, with up to 400 mm over high ground.
Haiyan earlier swept over Vietnam’s Con Co island, 30km (18 miles) off the coast of central Quang Tri province.
“All 250 people on the island including residents and soldiers were evacuated to underground shelters where there is enough food for several days,” reported the Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Haiyan is expected to move on to Southern China by Monday night, turning into a tropical depression along the way.