Vietnam braces for deadly Typhoon Haiyan

After killing an estimated 10,000 people and leaving a trail of destruction across the Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan is expected to hit Vietnam on Monday morning, with the country evacuating hundreds of thousands of people in preparation.

Vietnam was bracing itself for the arrival of Typhoon Haiyan Sunday, with the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people in the country’s central and northern provinces.

The giant storm, one of the most powerful ever recorded, has already left a trail of destruction across the central Philippines, killing an estimated 10,000 people before heading out across the South China Sea.

It is forecast to make landfall in Vietnam Monday morning and, despite weakening since hitting the Philippines, is expected to bring with it winds of around 74 kilometres (45 miles an hour) per hour as well as heavy rains and potential flooding.

A mass evacuation of those in areas likely to be affected has already seen an estimated 883,000 people moved to safe zones, Reuters reported.

Images in state media showed women, children and the elderly crowded into typhoon shelters.

At least four people were reportedly killed while preparing to escape the typhoon, disaster officials told AFP, without giving further details.

Meanwhile, householders have rushed to protect their properties as best they can from the incoming storm.
170,000 soldiers mobilised
"Hundreds of people have flocked to hardware stores... Customers are snapping up plastic sheeting, wire and nails," the official Thanh Nien newspaper said.
In anticipation of widespread damage, some 170,000 soldiers have been mobilised to provide emergency relief after the typhoon hits.
Central Vietnam has recently been hit by two other typhoons - Wutip and Nari - which flooded roads, damaged sea dykes and tore the roofs off hundreds of thousands of houses.
However, both these storms were considerably weaker than Haiyan is expected to be once it reaches the country.
"Typhoon Haiyan is two or three times more powerful than either typhoon Wutip or Nari and it is expected to do more damage," Michael Annear, Red Cross country representative, told AFP.
"We're expecting a lot of wind damage... especially for those who repaired their houses themselves after Wutip and Nari."
Schools, normally open on weekends, have been closed, while National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said it had cancelled some 62 flights to and from the country's central provinces due to bad weather.