Storm Nakri Arrives With Prolonged Downpours, Cancelled Flights and Blackouts

Tropical Depression Nakri hit coastal regions in south-central Vietnam on Sunday night, bringing blackouts, toppled trees and torrential rains.

Last night, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting announced that the storm reached the shores of Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa provinces with winds of up to 60 km/h, resulting in 59,700 families losing power in Phu Yen's Tuy Hoa Town, while 540 homes in Ninh Hoa Town in Khanh Hoa lost electricity. The storm moved into the Central Highlands this morning.

Storm Nakri forced several Vietnamese airlines to reschedule or cancel flights to and from central cities including Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Pleiku and Da Nang. 

In preparation for the storm, which threatened to produce flooding and landslides in addition to impacting power grids, authorities dispatched armored vehicles to Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa and oversaw beach fortification efforts in Binh Dinh Province. Roughly 250,000 soldiers were sent to areas expected to be worst hit, while 45,000 households were told to prepare to evacuate. 

The storm intensified last week as it developed into a typhoon over the East Sea on the 5th of November, before weakening into a tropical depression by the time it reached Vietnam. Through today, it is expected to move towards Cambodia after sweeping through the highlands, bringing along far-reaching rainstorms and lower temperatures. 

[Photo via RainViewer]