HANOI (VIETNAM) – Tropical storm Noul led to a landfall in Vietnam on Friday. It killed at least one person and triggered heavy rain in the central parts of the country.
State-run Voice of Vietnam said the storm entered the tourist city of Danang and headed north to Thua Thien Hue province before entering Laos around Friday noon, said on its website.
It killed at least one person, injured another, while trees fell off, damaging hundreds of houses, the report said.
Tuoi Tre newspaper said the man died because of a falling tree and television footage showed flooded streets in some areas.
The government had earlier planned to evacuate up to half a million people when it was forecast to have wind speeds of up to 135 km (84 miles) an hour.
The weather agency on Friday, which described Noul to a low pressure system, alerted that it could still dump up to 250 mm (9.8 inches) of rain in parts of central Vietnam, possibly triggering floods and landslides.
State television VTV said that the Central Highlands, Vietnam’s largest coffee growing area, witnessed 100 mm of rain. However, traders said it should not be harmful to farms, which were about to begin their harvest from next month.
A coffee trader based in the area, said, “But if it rains heavily in November, beans picking and the drying process will be seriously affected.”
On Thursday, authorities in some central provinces ordered vessels to remain in port and shut down schools for the rest of the week, according to the government.