Typhoon Bualoy: Vietnam and the Philippines Hit by a Double Disaster

Tropical storm Bualoy, known in the Philippines as Ompong, hit the country on September 26. It struck the central and southern regions, with the Bicol, Mimaropa, and Eastern, Central, and Western Visayas areas suffering the most. Wind gusts of up to 84 mph toppled trees and power lines, blocking roads and bridges. Torrential rains caused floods and landslides. Nearly 9,000 homes were damaged, and about 400,000 people were evacuated.

In rural areas, crops were destroyed, farms and homes were flooded. Many villages were left without water, electricity, and access to shops and medical care. Hundreds of fishing boats were damaged by storm waves. The disaster claimed 27 lives, with another 14 people reported missing.

It is worth noting that the people of the Philippines had not yet recovered from the impact of the devastating super typhoon Ragasa when almost immediately tropical storm Bualoy struck, worsening the consequences and damage.

On the night of September 28, having intensified in the South China Sea and turned into a typhoon, Bualoy made landfall in Vietnam — in the area of Ha Tinh and Quang Tri provinces. Wind gusts of up to force fourteen raised gigantic waves. Off the coast of Ha Tinh and northern Quang Tri, their height reached 20–26 feet. In some areas, heavy rains dumped more than 20 inches of precipitation.

In certain areas of Nghe An province, water rose nearly to the roofs of houses, leaving tens of thousands of families completely cut off from the outside world.

During the night, a generator failed at the lung disease hospital, where patients on ventilators were being treated. They were urgently transferred to another clinic.
The disaster caused enormous damage: in central Vietnam, over 144,000 homes were damaged, and 64,000 acres of rice and other crops were destroyed. In one village, livestock perished from electric shock.

Large areas were left without power: during the typhoon, more than 6,200 power poles were broken. Four domestic airports were closed. Two fishing boats sank in the waters of Quang Tri province. The search for their crews is complicated by strong waves and wind that continued even after the typhoon weakened.

Serious consequences were recorded in the education sector: more than 1,000 educational institutions in five provinces were damaged or flooded.

Schools and medical centers converted into shelters housed over 53,000 people. Floods and landslides also affected the capital, Hanoi, where residents said they had never seen flooding on such a scale.

According to local experts, typhoon Bualoy was one of the rarest and most abnormal in several respects:
- First, it moved across the South China Sea at a record speed — up to 22 mph, almost twice as fast as usual.
- Second, in Ha Tinh province, it raged for more than 11 hours straight, becoming the strongest typhoon in the region's recorded history.
- Third, it caused an abnormal number of tornadoes: eight whirlwinds formed in different regions within 24 hours.

On September 29, tornadoes were recorded in Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Thanh Hoa, Thai Binh, Quang Ninh, and even in Hanoi. The most destructive whirlwind passed through Ninh Binh in the morning: it claimed 9 lives, injured 18 people, damaged over 120 homes, and completely destroyed 11.

By the morning of October 1, Vietnam had recorded 29 deaths, 22 people were missing, and at least 119 were injured.

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