Strong gusts and rains are already pounding several north-central Vietnamese provinces as tropical storm Doksuri approaches the mainland, prompting local authorities and residents to batten down the hatches ahead of the storm’s expected landfall later today.

The typhoon was located just 190 kilometers southeast of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh Provinces in the north-central region at around 4:00 am on Friday.  Wind speeds near the eye of the storm were recorded at between 115 and 150km an hour while squalls reached183km per hour.

Doksuri is forecast to continue traveling northeastward at 20 to 25km an hour before making landfall in provinces from Nghe An to Qung Tri between Friday afternoon and evening.

Forecasts predict the storm will make landfall by 4:00 pm on Friday packing winds of 100 to 115km an hour.  After hitting mainland Vietnam, Doksure is expected to travel southwest at a velocity of 20 to 25km per hour before weakening into a tropical depression over Laos.

Heavy downpours have already hit the central region and several northern provinces since 1:00 am on Friday.

According to Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Binh Provinces are likely to suffer the heaviest toll.

Water levels in local rivers will rise until Sunday, posing a high risk of inundation, flashfloods, and landslides in multiple areas.

According to authorities in Thua Thien- Hue Province, one man has already been killed and a three-year-old boy has gone missing due to floods brought about by the storm.

Nearly 27,000 people in the locality will be evacuated.

The People’s Committee in Ha Tinh Province has also ordered the relocation of over 47,000 residents in order to prepare for the storm’s landfall.

Border guard officers in Quang Ngai Province reported on Thursday that one fishing boat sunk and two others have lost contact after being caught in Doksuri’s path near the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelago.  

A tree is uprooted in Dong Hoi City.

A house in Dong Hoi City is damaged by strong gust.

A street in the north-central province of Nghe An is flooded on September 15, 2017.

Extreme winds wreck havoc in Quang Binh Province.

Extreme winds wreck havoc in Quang Binh Province.

Extreme winds wreck havoc in Quang Binh Province.

Street signs and trees branches are blown away by the storm in Vinh City, Nghe An Province.

A tree is broken in the north-central province of Thua Thien- Hue.

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