Typhoon Haiyan forces mass evacuations in Vietnam
Saturday, November 09, 2013, 10:31 GMT+7
* 20,000 families in Da Nang evacuate * 216,000 people in Quang Ngai seek shelter
Authorities in central Vietnam have begun evacuating hundreds of thousands of people from coastal areas in the path of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed at least 100 people in the Philippines on Friday.
>> World’s strongest storm to hit Vietnam early Sunday
Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm on earth this year, also prompted the closure of all schools in Quang Nam and Binh Dinh provinces. As many as 300,000 students in Quang Nam and 336,000 students in Binh Dinh will not attend classes starting today, November 9.
In Da Nang city, 20,000 families in Lien Chieu and Hoa Vang districts have been evacuated, said Van Huu Chien, chairman of the Da Nang People’s Committee.
Nearly 2,000 boats have been brought in from the sea, he added. Industrial zones and markets in Da Nang will close this afternoon.
In Quang Ngai province, 216,000 people will be evacuated from coastal areas before 1pm on November 10, and all fishing boats in the province have been temporarily banned from operating at sea.
