Typhoon Kalmaegi Slams Vietnam After Killing Hundreds in Philippines; Christian Aid Workers Urge Prayers (Worthy News In-Depth)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

HANOI/CEBU CITY (Worthy News) – Typhoon Kalmaegi slammed into Vietnam on Thursday, after survivors told Worthy News they saw dead bodies and destruction in the Philippines, where authorities feared the super storm killed more than 200 people.

In Vietnam, three fishermen were reported missing as their boat was swept away by strong waves on Ly Son, an island in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province. A search operation was launched but later suspended due to worsening weather, state media said.

Authorities said more than 537,000 people were evacuated, many by boat, as floodwaters rose and landslides loomed.

Vietnam’s central provinces were already reeling from floods due to record-breaking rains. Kalmaegi is forecast to dump more than 600 millimeters (24 inches) of rain in some areas.

POWERFUL STORM BATTERS COASTAL VIETNAM

An unusually strong storm for the region in November, Kalmaegi packed sustained winds of about 183 kilometers per hour (114 miles per hour) with gusts reaching up to 220 kph (137 mph) over the South China Sea as it approached Vietnam, officials said.

Waves up to 3 meters (10 feet) high battered the coast in cities like Danang, and strong winds uprooted trees in Dak Lak province. Many homes in Quy Nhon, also a coastal town, were left without power for hours.

The country’s financial hub, Ho Chi Minh City, faced a heightened risk of severe floods. High tides were expected on the Saigon River, and authorities warned that up to 100 millimeters (4 inches) of expected rainfall could inundate low-lying areas.

Vietnam feared similar damage to that in the central Philippines, where Kalmaegi, locally known as Typhoon Tino, had already left devastation. Authorities there said the storm killed at least 114 people and left 127 missing in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year.

PHILIPPINES DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared a state of emergency on Thursday as aid workers struggled to reach survivors. Christians in hard-hit Cebu, the central Philippines’ main island and province, told Worthy News they lost everything they had.

“I saw two dead, still unidentified, nearby,” said Christian aid worker and survivor Merry Joy Osman, who visited Nangka Balamban village in Balamban municipality, 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Cebu City, on the western coast of Cebu Island.

“There is one dead body lying inside a garage, while the other is nearby the school here. I could recognize the hair, but the body is full of mud,” the mother-of-one told Worthy News.

Osman visited her sister in Balamban after packing a motorbike with food and other relief items, briefly leaving flood-ridden Cebu City, where she lives and works. “I had to go as she suffered even more than we. She personally lost six cows and her employer some 50 pigs in the flooding caused by the storm.”

Small-scale farming is an integral part of life for many impoverished residents in the area, adding to concerns about their future. Worthy News obtained footage of destroyed houses; areas where once fruit trees stood are now a muddy wasteland.

FAMILIES TRAPPED, CHILDREN TRAUMATIZED

“My sister and her family are trapped by the flood, and they don’t have clothes to wear. All are wet. And I’m worried because my sister has a baby, barely 5 months old,” Osman said.

“The [village] area smells bad. It makes me cry watching. But we are still grateful to the Lord for safety and protection,” Osman added.

Her nine-year-old niece, Juliet Osman Villahermosa, tried to smile but appeared close to tears. “My school bag is in mud. I lost all my toys, pencils, and school books,” she told Worthy News in a video message recorded by her aunt.

As floodwaters receded in Cebu, flattened homes, overturned vehicles, and streets choked with debris underscored the difficult task ahead for a nation in mourning.

Back in Vietnam, a relatively close maritime neighbor, similar scenes were expected as the storm made landfall there.

MASS EVACUATIONS IN VIETNAM

Officials closed six airports, and the government said more than 260,000 people in Gia Lai province had been moved to safety. Kalmaegi is the 13th storm to hit Vietnam this year, and among the most powerful.

The government said it had placed more than 268,000 soldiers on standby for search-and-rescue operations. It warned of floods in low-lying areas and impacts on agriculture, including in the Central Highlands, the main coffee-growing region.

As the storm approached, hotels and homes along Cua Dai Beach, near the ancient UNESCO-listed town of Hoi An, were shuttered.

Near the coastal city of Hue, farmers were still recovering from floods this week that killed 47 people.

Vietnamese rice farmer Nguyen Van Rin, 42, told reporters that the last floods had drowned his livestock and poultry. “Kalmaegi will flood us for the fourth time, and I am afraid it will be quite bad,” he said after guiding his boat across a road as vehicles moved slowly through the water.

PRAYER AS ANOTHER STORM LOOMS

Osman, the Christian aid worker, urged prayers for the region amid warnings of more storms.

Christian farmer Clarita Orfrecio told Worthy News she now feared another cyclone would hit the Philippines, including her municipality of Bongabon on Luzon island. “I’m going to the grocery store tomorrow; I need to stock up on food. There’s a super Typhoon Uwan. We’re among those affected.”

The Philippines is one of the most cyclone-prone countries in the world. It lies in the western Pacific Ocean, right in what is known as the “Typhoon Belt” or “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area where warm ocean waters, high humidity, and rising air currents combine — a perfect “fuel” for typhoon formation, experts say.

While several scientists have blamed climate change for the worsening human impact, other experts also note that many communities live in low-lying coastal zones, river deltas, or informal settlements not built to withstand strong winds or flooding.

Limited infrastructure and slower evacuation or rescue capacity can increase casualties when major typhoons strike, analysts say.

(With original reporting from the Philippines and sources in Vietnam. Worthy News will continue monitoring the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi and the developing threat of Super Typhoon Uwan across the Philippines and Southeast Asia.)

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