Vietnamese evacuate for typhoon
HANOI - Vietnam evacuated children and the elderly from parts of its central coast on
Sunday as the country braced for the arrival of deadly Typhoon Lingling from the Philippines.
The storm, which left 148 confirmed dead and 177 missing in the Philippines, was expected to make
landfall by Monday afternoon between Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces, the National Center for
Hydro Meteorology said. The area is about 620 miles south of Hanoi.
Local forecasters said the typhoon had winds of up to 83 mph, but the U.S. Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated them higher, at about 132 mph. The storm was
centered about 185 miles off the coast.
Vietnam's relief officials have been taking the elderly and children from homes in low-lying areas near
rivers and coasts and putting them in shelters since Friday, said an official from Danang's flood control
department who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The military and police have been placed on 24-hour high alert, he said.
On Friday, the government barred all fishing boats from sailing and signaled offshore boats to return to
land, the official said.
The typhoon is expected to bring heavy rains to seven central provinces over a stretch of 373 miles
from Quang Tri to Phu Yen provinces, home to nearly 6 million people.
Vietnam's long coastline makes it particularly vulnerable to floods and violent tropical storms.
Last month, heavy rain and floods killed 53 people in central Vietnam. In the south, seasonal flooding
in the Mekong Delta has killed 366 people, including 286 children.
In late 1999, the worst flooding in a century hit Central Vietnam, killing more than 700 people.
The Associated Press - November 11, 2001.
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