A deadly typhoon that killed at least 114 people in the Philippines pummeled central Vietnam Thursday. The storm triggered landslides and flooding, and forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. The storm whipped up waves as tall as 33 feet as it made landfall early Thursday afternoon, authorities said. The Category 4 storm swept three fishermen out to sea. It carried punishing winds that damaged roofs, uprooted trees, and blocked roads. A search for the missing fishermen was suspended due to the strength of the storm. “The wind is so, so strong, nothing can resist,” Vu Van Hao in Gia Lai province told Agence France-Presse. “We here have never experienced such strong wind like this. It’s a natural disaster, what can we do?” Search and rescue teams worked throughout the night trying to reach areas hardest hit by the storm. And authorities are working to assess the damage. As of early this morning, officials had not released casualty figures. More than 900 miles away in the Philippines, the numbers of the dead and injured continued to climb Thursday. At least 127 people remained missing. The storm struck the archipelago late Monday. It was known locally as Tino. It roared across the country’s islands at 93 miles per hour (mph) and carried wind gusts of 127 mph. Hardest hit was Cebu. It has suffered a string of severe natural disasters in recent weeks. Super Typhoon Ragasa struck the province on September 22. Eight days later, it was hit by a 69 magnitude earthquake. The two storms and the quake combined have killed hundreds of people. And hundreds of thousands more have been displaced in the region. Reflect: How do you think people find the strength to recover and rebuild after facing something that destroys their homes or community?
