Typhoon heads toward Hue...

[ScottThuy 140]

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/busi...topnav_business

[lindal24 1]

wow...that looks like a big one!!!

[ScottThuy 140]

wow...that looks like a big one!!!

Same one that flooded Manila yesterday

[lindal24 1]

I read from some other posts...I hope the electricity doesn't go out and everyone is safe and sound over there!!

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

I just spoke with Phuong about an hour ago. So far, just heavy wind and rain, but nothing extraordinary for Hue. She said the storm woke her at 5:00 am. She closed the school for the day in Xa Phu Thuong, and everyone is staying home. She's not too concerned about it. They're used to heavy rain in Hue. Unless the Perfume River overflows it's banks, any flooding should be local and relatively moderate. At the time, they still had power, internet, and mobile phone service.

When Scott told me about the typhoon yesterday I immediately called Phuong, but she didn't seem concerned. She said they get typhoons every year, and told me (repeatedly) not to worry. I'm worried anyway.

Update: Looks like the current weather metrics (temp, humidity, etc.) for Hue disappeared on weather.com. Same for Da Nang. They got numbers for HCM and Hanoi, though. Wonder if the power went out...

[lindal24 1]

I just talked to my husband in HCM and everything's fine down that way...lots of rain yesterday, but other than that, not much else...

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

This is a time lapse animated gif that I made from the weather.com satellite images. The time span is 3:00pm Saturday until 12:00am Monday. Hue is the red dot in the middle. HCM is near the bottom, and Ha Noi is near the top. Looks like the center of the storm is headed directly for Hue.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Just finished chatting with Phuong. Sustained winds are 25 to 30 mph. Local TV is saying this will be a "level 16" storm, whatever that means. The center of the typhoon is supposed to hit Hue province tomorrow (Tuesday) around 4:00 pm. Tomorrow, Phuong and her family are going to a friend's home, which is 3 stories with a steel reinforced concrete roof. Now she thinks there's a real chance the roof on her house won't hold up. We tried to talk using Yahoo voice chat. It was very difficult to hear her. The wind was howling constantly. It's nearly 80 degrees, but she was cold with the wind blowing through the vents in the house.

While we were chatting her brother called and told her she should go now because the roads might be flooded by tomorrow, but she's worried about going out into the storm in the dark. I suggested she try to get a taxi to take her, but she says the taxis aren't running.

She told me not to worry at least 50 times. That's not possible.

[ScottThuy 140]

I noticed that it tighened up in the past few hours... The north side will be the wettest and the windiest... Thuy said they have severe storm warnings there but most dont realize what is coming... As you said before, they just look at it like another wet day with some extra wind...

The most intense part of the storm appears to be headed just north of Hue... The fact that it is slow moving will add a great deal of water as was the case in PI. Our prayers are with those in the path...

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Got this email from the consulate in HCM this morning:

US Consulate General, Ho Chi Minh City

Warden Message

28 September 2009

This warden message is to notify U.S. citizens of the approach and

potential impact of Typhoon Ketsana.

According to news reports, Typhoon Ketsana is expected to hit the

central coastal area of Vietnam sometime around the morning of Tuesday,

September 29 as a Category 1 Typhoon. Sustained maximum wind speeds may

be as high as 95mph or 153 km/h.

Residents and travelers in the area affected, including the cities of Da

Nang and Hue, should take precautionary measures to prepare for the

storm. A storm of Typhoon Ketsana's strength may cause some coastal

flooding, and winds may cause damage to trees, shrubbery and unsecured

objects.

U.S. citizens in the projected path of the storm are strongly urged to

monitor media reports and follow all official instructions. Visitors

should be familiar with their hotel evacuation plans. Flights into and

out of affected airports may be suspended at any time.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: All U.S. citizens currently in the affected areas

should secure their travel documents, (i.e. U.S. Passport, Birth

Certificate, picture ID's, etc.) by placing them in a safe waterproof

location and if possible carry them at all times. U.S. citizens are

reminded to stay in contact with friends and family in the United States

to keep them apprised of your current whereabouts.

U.S. citizens may also call the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in

the United States for the latest travel information. The Office of

Overseas Citizens Services can be reached from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Eastern Daylight Time, Monday through Friday, by calling 1-888-407-4747

from within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling (202) 501-4444 from other

countries.

U.S. citizens living or traveling in Vietnam are encouraged to register

with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State

Department's travel registration website,

https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain

updated information on travel and security within Vietnam. U.S.

citizens without Internet access may register directly with the nearest

U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, U.S. citizens make it easier

for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

The Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi is located at 170 Ngoc

Khanh, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Socialist Republic of Vietnam,

telephone: (84-4) 3850-5000; after hours emergency telephone number:

(84-4) 3850-5000; fax: (84-4) 3850-5010. The web site for the U.S.

Embassy Hanoi is http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/.

The U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City is located at 4 Le Duan,

District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, telephone:

(84-8) 3520-4200; fax: (84-8) 3520-4244. The web site for the U.S.

Consulate General is http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/

[Anh map 2,098]

It's not a real storm until the Weather Channel has Jim Cantore there on the beach with a live update.

[ScottThuy 140]

It's not a real storm until the Weather Channel has Jim Cantore there on the beach with a live update.

Bout peed myself with that one Roger... its true when it comes to a US storm though.. he was here for Charley....

One must wonder if there is a VN equivalent of him?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

It's not a real storm until the Weather Channel has Jim Cantore there on the beach with a live update.

Phuong's brother swears he saw a reporter on the beach in Thuan An yesterday, trying to stand in one place with 20 ft. waves coming in. Could it be?

Phuong called and told me she and her kids made it to her friends house at 7:00 am VN time, Tuesday morning. I've never been so relieved for someone to travel only 1km.

Downside - no internet access for the next 2 days, so no morning Yahoo chat. I'll still get up at 5:00 am every day. I've been doing it for too long to stop now.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Official death toll currently stands at 23:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090929/ap_on_...vietnam_typhoon

Hue is now in the trailing edge of the typhoon, which is now well into Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.

There is apparently widespread flooding in Hue province, as well as Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, and Quang Ngai. According to the article, Quang Ngai is completely blacked out, and described by a witness as resembling a "battlezone".

There is flooding in Hoi An. I was just there a little over a month ago. It's an adorable little beach community that reminded me of Laguna Beach in California. Hopefully, none of the historical landmarks were damaged, like the old bridge between the Japanese and Chinese sectors.

There is some cell phone service in Hue city. I got a call from Phuong this morning. Other than determining that she and her kids are ok, I got practically no other information. The quality of the line was awful, so almost everything she and her daughter said to me was too garbled to understand. I don't know if they've heard anything from Thuan An village yet, which is on the coastal peninsula about 15km from Hue. Much of Phuong's family lives there, including her mother and brother. Phuong told me last night that her mother wasn't able to get to a "safe house" because of the storm. My buddy Phong's parents also live in Thuan An. He hasn't heard from them since Sunday. I'm going to call my friend Van this morning and see if he's heard anything, since his 83 year old mother also lives there. I strongly suspect much of the village is under water.

[Icarus 0]

Just saw this on CNN:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-335150