Typhoon Kalmaegi hits Vietnam after unleashing deadly destruction in the Philippines • FRANCE 24

Key Concepts

• Typhoon Kalmegi
• Wind Speed (km/h)
• Rainfall (mm)
• Evacuations
• Fatalities and Missing Persons
• Climate Change
• Sea Surface Temperatures

Typhoon Kalmegi's Impact on Vietnam

Typhoon Kalmegi made landfall in Vietnam on Thursday, causing significant damage. The storm's intensity was characterized by brutal winds reaching up to 149 km per hour. Authorities issued warnings of continued rainfall, with projections of up to 200 mm in the country's central provinces.

Specific Damages and Observations:

• Buildings were damaged.
• Electric poles were knocked over.
• Trees were uprooted.
• Hotel staff reported being in shock, with one individual stating, "I feel so sorry for the hotel with all this broken glass. The wind is so strong. Nothing can resist. We have never experienced such strong wind here. It's a natural disaster. What can we do?"

Human Impact and Preparedness:

• Over 500,000 people were evacuated.
• Several fatalities were reported in the provinces of Kong Nai, Guilai, and Dakluck.

Preceding Impact in the Philippines

Typhoon Kalmegi had previously struck the central Philippines on Monday. The impact there was severe, resulting in at least 188 deaths and 135 missing individuals. The Office of Civil Defense described this as the country's deadliest natural disaster of the year. A witness in the Philippines described the extreme tidal surge: "The tide was so high. I had never seen the sea coming all the way into the sandy beach. The waves have never gone past that point."

Typhoons in Vietnam and Climate Change

Kalmegi is identified as the 13th storm to hit Vietnam this year. This is notable as Vietnam typically experiences around 10 storms or typhoons annually.

Scientific Perspective:

• Scientists have warned that human-driven climate change is a contributing factor to the increasing power of typhoons.
• The mechanism cited is the warming of sea surface temperatures, which fuels these storms.

Synthesis and Conclusion

Typhoon Kalmegi inflicted substantial damage and loss of life in Vietnam, following a similarly devastating impact in the Philippines. The storm's high wind speeds and heavy rainfall necessitated large-scale evacuations and resulted in casualties. The frequency and intensity of such storms, with Kalmegi being the 13th this year compared to the usual 10, are linked by scientists to climate change, specifically the warming of sea surface temperatures. The event underscores the vulnerability of coastal regions to extreme weather phenomena and highlights the growing concern over the influence of global warming on typhoon intensity.