Storm Etau weakens, but next storm leaves assembly line

It packed winds of up to 60 kph, and in the next 12 hours would move west at a speed of 15 kph before weakening further into a low pressure zone over the Central Highlands, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

Khanh Hoa, home to the beach resort town of Nha Trang, Phu Yen and Binh Dinh provinces and the Central Highlands will be hit by downpours on Tuesday with rainfall of up to 250 mm. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy.

The rains are forecast to cause flooding and landslides in provinces between Quang Nam and Khanh Hoa.

In Tuy Hoa, the capital of Phu Yen, many houses were submerged following heavy rains and some parts experienced a power outage on Tuesday morning.

Hundreds of roofs have been blown away, trees have been uprooted and motorbike drivers tumbled on the street after being bit by gusts of wind in Nha Trang on Tuesday morning.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Etau is the 12th storm to hit Vietnam this year.

Another storm to enter East Sea

Meanwhile, another storm, Vamco, is heading toward the East Sea, which is also known as the South China Sea.

On Tuesday morning it lay 555 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, in the Philippines, and is forecast to make landfall with wind speeds of up to 149 kph.

It is then forecast to enter the East Sea with winds of 135 kph.

If it does approach the Vietnamese coast, it will be the third in November. The two previous ones brought a deluge to south central and central provinces.

In October the central region had suffered from torrential rains, widespread flooding and landslides after being hit by four storms. At least 235 people were killed or went missing and almost 390,000 houses were flooded, according to the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority.