Storm Kirogi weakens to tropical depression before landfall in Vietnam
Storm Kirogi has weakened to a tropical depression on the morning of November 19, when it was still 200 kilometers (124 miles) off Vietnam's south-central coast.
At 4 a.m., the tropical depression was in the waters of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces, with wind speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour.
People in these provinces have resumed their daily life after a sleepless night expecting the storm.
The tropical depression will head west at 20 kilometers per hour. By 4 p.m. on November 19 it will be over Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Lam Dong provinces with maximum wind speeds of 50 kph.
It is expected to later form a low-pressure area in southern Cambodia.
Flooding across the coast from northern province Ha Tinh to southern province Binh Thuan could still occur due to heavy rains, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.
Kirogi is the 14th storm of the year. Typhoon Damrey, which made landfall in the central region two weeks ago, killed more than 100 people and damaged or destroyed over 100,000 houses. Deadly floods last month also killed more than 80 people and washed away hundreds of homes.
Last year, tropical storms and flooding killed 264 people in Vietnam and caused damage worth VND40 trillion (US$1.75 billion), nearly five times more than in 2015.