A house that was destroyed by Typhoon Matmo in the south central province of Bình Định.VNA/VNS Photo Nguyên Linh

HÀ NỘI — Fourteen people have been reported injured and one person is missing after Typhoon Matmo churned through the central and south central provinces from Quảng Ngãi to Khánh Hoà on Wednesday.

The latest update issued yesterday morning by the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said the typhoon had destroyed 179 houses and damaged 2,314 others in the provinces of Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Gia Lai and Thừa Thiên Huế.

Quảng Ngãi and Bình Định appear to have suffered the worst.

The typhoon also destroyed 35 schools, 5,500ha of crops, 2,200 metres of sea defences and over 6,800 metres of canals, and caused a massive blackout for hundreds of communes in Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định and Phú Yên.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, by 7am yesterday morning, the typhoon had weakened into a low-pressure system and entered Cambodia.

The centre predicted that torrential rains triggered by the typhoon would subside today after dropping 400mm in three days.

The centre warned that flash floods and landslides were still a risk in low-lying and urban areas in provinces from Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Ngãi.

Resuming normal daily life

Trần Quang Hoài, deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, ordered the affected localities to take prompt measures to help local residents return to daily life during an online meeting yesterday.

The localities were told to send damage reports so the Government could take necessary steps to support residents, he said.

Lê Văn Khoa, head of the Central Region Department for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said authorised agencies in Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định and Phú Yên were working hard to reconnect residents to the power grid.

Areas at high risk of flash floods and landslides were evacuated yesterday morning, Khoa said.

Hồ Quốc Dũng, chairman of the People’s Committee of Bình Định Province, has instructed local agencies to urgently fix the damaged sea dyke to ensure the safety of 91 nearby households.

In another development, the forecasting centre said 2-3 tropical low-pressure systems were predicted to affect the central region in November.

The centre warned that the first extreme cold spell of winter would hit the northern region in early January. — VNS