Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in Vietnam late Sunday. Yet Typhoon Goni, known locally as Rolly, brought 130-kilometer per hour winds that devastated parts of nine provinces. The extremely powerful storm has already taken at least 11 lives. According to local and national disaster authorities, more than 20 people remain unaccounted for. This makes typhoon number ten to strike Vietnam in 2023. This should be a huge warning sign given how much more often and strongly these weather extremes are occurring.
As the typhoon hit ground, its winds tore roofs from houses and uprooted electrical poles, causing rolling blackouts. Northern Ninh Binh province bore the worst of the storm’s impacts, with officials confirming nine deaths from a tornado. The central provinces of Hue and Thanh Hoa reported one death each. Officials have reported that nearly 53,000 residents were evacuated to emergency shelters out of caution.
Impact on Infrastructure and Communities
The impact of Typhoon Bualoi has left the towns of Pagopago and Tula-Tula, thousands of homes and businesses, heavily damaged or destroyed. Public reports suggest more than 180 flights that have been canceled or delayed, making huge waves in travel preparations for many. Schools in impacted communities have shut down in order to protect their students and staff.
Local resident Trinh Thi Le, 71, from central Quang Tri province, described the traumatic moments when she and her family sought shelter during the storm.
“The wind blew my roof to the sky and then it fell down, breaking everything. I had to cover my head and rushed to my neighbor’s house to be safe,” – Trinh Thi Le, as quoted by state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
The damage has inspired an unprecedented coordinated response from the local government. As they work desperately to assess the damage and respond immediately to assist those affected, it is, quite frankly, a disaster. Authorities are continuing to look for nine other fishermen who disappeared when their vessels sank in the stormy sea.
Recovery Efforts Underway
Here, as Typhoon Bualoi weakens enroute to recovery savcontinent of Laos, already communities begin shifting into recovery mode. Local authorities are making efforts to quickly restore power in affected localities such as Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Reported about 18,000 residents in these areas were still without power. It’s as much about ensuring that emergency services can help people displaced by the storm’s wake find temporary shelter or return home.
Meanwhile, disaster response teams and local brigades are sweeping roads free of debris while assisting communities in starting the recovery process and rebuilding. The government has shuttled massive resources into supporting impacted populations through food, medical and health support and temporary housing.
A Call for Preparedness
The unprecedented number of typhoons that have struck central Vietnam this year further highlights the urgent need for improved disaster preparedness and climate resilience strategies. Climate change is rapidly changing the dynamics of weather events across the globe. Climate experts caution that countries like Vietnam may have to face increasingly powerful storms in the years to come.