Typhoon Kajiki Nears Vietnam, Bringing Strong Winds and Rain

Typhoon Kajiki made landfall along the northern part of Vietnam’s central coast on Monday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that prompted a warning of possible flash floods and landslides across multiple provinces.

The storm came ashore between Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, packing top winds of as much as 149 kilometers (93 miles) per hour, according to Vietnam’s national weather agency. A flooding alert was issued for six provinces including Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Ninh.

The Tho Xuan and Dong Hoi airports in the Thanh Hoa and Quang Tri areas shut shut temporarily, and at least three north-south train lines were suspended. In Thanh Hoa, more than 60,000 people living in at-risk locations were evacuated, while tens of thousands were told to move to safety elsewhere in the predicted impact path.

Several electronics manufacturers have factories in the storm-affected areas, including Apple Inc. suppliers Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Luxshare Precision Industry Co., and GoerTek Inc. Vietnamese authorities also warned that the typhoon will threaten mountainous regions further inland with possible floods and landslides.

Some areas along the northern Vietnamese coast are set to receive as much as 500 millimeters (19.7 inches) of rain, according to the weather agency. The government said that over 120,000 soldiers and military personnel were deployed to help with evacuations and remained on standby for search and rescue operations.

While the typhoon passed China’s Hainan, parts of the island still faced torrential rain, the China Meteorological Administration said.

The storm is expected to gradually weaken as it moves inland into the central Laos region, continuing to bring heavy rain that could also reach over 500 millimeters in some places.