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After about four hours of fierce winds, rain subsided and gusts began to ease in some areas after 10 p.m. However, numerous homes and businesses were left roofless, with belongings scattered across the streets.
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The computer store on Pham Van Dong Street in Dak Lak had its roof blown off and its iron door frame collapsed. Photo by Dinh Van |
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Metal roofs were blown away by the wind all over Highway 19 in Gia Lai Province. Photo by Tran Hoa |
Around 20 fishing boats and small vessels seeking shelter from the typhoon sank at Vung Chao, near Phu My Pagoda in Song Cau Ward, Dak Lak Province. "There are still many other docking areas in the ward where boats have sunk and roofs have been blown off. The storm was truly terrifying," said local resident Thanh Nam.
Vung Chao lies near Phu My Village in Xuan Dai Bay, which opens southeast toward the East Sea. When typhoons hit central or south-central Vietnam, waves and winds often strike from this direction, making the area highly exposed to strong gusts and wave surges — and therefore unsuitable for storm sheltering.
Fishing boats anchored for shelter at Vung Chao, Dak Lak. Video by Thanh Nam
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, as of 10 p.m., the storm over Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces had weakened, with maximum sustained winds of 102 kph. Over the next three hours, it is expected to continue moving west-northwest at about 30 kph.
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Satellite image of Typhoon Kalmaegi at 10 p.m. Photo courtesy of NCHMF |
Meteorologists warn that through Nov. 9, rivers across central Vietnam are expected to rise sharply. The Tra, Khuc, Ve, and Se San rivers (Quang Ngai); the Kon River (Gia Lai); and the Ba, Ky Lo, and Srepok rivers (Dak Lak) may reach levels two to three on the flood alert scale, with some exceeding level three, the highest.
Other rivers, including the Bo and Huong (Hue), Vu Gia–Thu Bon (Da Nang), Kien Giang (Quang Tri), An Lao and Lai Giang (Gia Lai), Dinh Ninh Hoa (Khanh Hoa), and several in Lam Dong, are projected to reach levels one to two, with some surpassing level two.
Scene of the collapse at the apartment building. Video by Dai Hoanh
Heavy rain and fierce gusts brought by Typhoon Kalmaegi caused part of an apartment building wall in Quy Nhon Ward in Gia Lai Province to collapse around 8 p.m. No casualties or damage estimates have been reported.
Nguyen Quoc Dat, head of the SOS 115 rescue team in former Binh Dinh Province, said the team has received a flood of emergency calls from residents trapped in the storm. The most serious case involves a person in Quy Nhon Bac Ward who suffered crushed limbs and a skull fracture after being hit by falling rocks. However, all access routes to the site are blocked by fallen trees, power lines, and debris, preventing ambulances from reaching the scene.
The team has contacted local rescue and firefighting units for support. Dat said several of their ambulances have had their windows shattered and sustained heavy damage but continue responding to calls for help from residents stranded by rising waters and fallen trees.
Rescue teams are currently trying to reach a family in De Gi, where floodwaters have risen between one and two meters. Before the typhoon made landfall, SOS 115 members had already helped transport many residents home, moved patients to hospitals, and delivered medicine to several households.
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An ambulance from Dat’s SOS 115 team is damaged and struggling to move through debris. Photo by SOS 115 – Binh Dinh Team |
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, as of 9 p.m., the storm was centered over the inland areas of Dak Lak and Gia Lai, with maximum sustained winds of 103-133 kph. Over the next three hours, it is expected to continue moving west-northwest at 25–30 km/h.
Between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., many locations from Hue to Khanh Hoa recorded rainfall exceeding 200 mm, including Dat Tran (Dak Lak) with 299 mm, Bach Ma Peak (Hue) with 268 mm, Tra Thanh (Quang Ngai) with 230 mm, and Dat Bang Station (Gia Lai) with 192 mm.
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Satellite image of Typhoon Kalmaegi at 9 p.m. Photo courtesy of NCHMF |
Forecasters expect continued heavy rain from Da Nang to Dak Lak, ranging from 150–300 mm and locally up to 450 mm through Friday night. Rainfall from southern Quang Tri to Hue, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong will range from 100–250 mm, locally above 400 mm. The downpour is expected to ease starting Nov. 8.
From Nov. 7–8, provinces from Thanh Hoa to northern Quang Tri are forecast to receive 50–150 mm of rain, with some areas exceeding 200 mm.
The second floor of the Hai Au Hotel on An Duong Vuong Street, Quy Nhon Ward — where breakfast is served to guests — was left in ruins as the storm tore through. Strong winds shattered all the glass panels on this floor, scattering shards across the area and toppling furniture and equipment.
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Tables and furniture on the second floor of Hai Au Hotel were blown out of place by strong winds. Photo by Minh Hoang |
Winds blowing inland from the sea battered the back of the hotel, churning the swimming pool below into waves and sending objects flying off balconies.
Hai Au Hotel, one of Quy Nhon’s largest seaside accommodations, had reinforced its structure with cross-bracing and other storm-proofing measures beforehand. However, the intense winds still caused extensive damage, with multiple sections of tempered glass ripped apart.
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Scene of devastation at Hai Au Hotel due to the storm. Photo by Minh Hoang |
In Tam Quan coastal area, Gia Lai Province, seawater rose dramatically around 8 p.m., spilling over embankments and sandy shores into the local Border Guard station. Nguyen Hoang Minh Thu, who lives nearby, said the shoreline used to be about 100 meters away from the station, but it is now completely submerged.
"This is the first time in more than a decade that I’ve seen the water rise this high," Thu said. He added that strong winds had battered the area since the afternoon, even before the rain began. Earlier in the day, his seven-member family evacuated their single-story home—located about 80 meters from the sea—to a sturdier multi-story house to ride out the storm.
Seawater floods homes in Tam Quan as waves surge inland. Video by Minh Thu
Relentless gusts and torrential rain shattered the glass façade of a shop opposite the Military Command headquarters in Song Cau Ward, Dak Lak Province. Along Pham Van Dong Street, dozens of heavy concrete plant pots in front of local homes were also knocked over by the wind.
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Sheets of metal roofing and signboards were blown away along Pham Van Dong Street. Photo by Dinh Van |
"The gusts were so strong that our tin roof kept shaking violently. My family had to tie it down with ropes and hold on through the night to keep it from being blown away," said Bui Van Manh, a resident of Xuan Dai Ward.
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Manh’s family used ropes to hold down their roof to prevent it from being blown away by strong winds. Photo by Van Manh |
To ensure safety during Typhoon Kalmaegi’s landfall, multiple passenger trains have been ordered to stop and wait at stations along the route from Quang Ngai to Khanh Hoa since the afternoon of Nov. 6.
Passenger train halted at Dieu Tri Station, Gia Lai Province. Video courtesy of VNR
Northbound train SE8 is currently stopped at Hao Son Station (Dak Lak), while SE6 and SE22 are waiting at Gia and Nha Trang stations (Khanh Hoa). In the opposite direction, several trains that departed on Nov. 5 are also halted in central Vietnam due to the storm — including SE1 and SE3 at Van Phu and Dieu Tri stations (Gia Lai). Southbound trains SE21 and SE45 from Da Nang have been stopped at Hoa Da (Dak Lak) and Quang Ngai stations.
Earlier, the railway authority canceled the SE21/SE22 services between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang scheduled for Nov. 7 because of the typhoon’s impact.
