New typhoon fuels wild Asia monsoon season

HANOI, Vietnam?? A tropical storm ran into Vietnam Friday, forcing 20,000 people to be evacuated, as the Philippines braced for a new typhoon and several Asian countries reeled under floods after some of the wildest weather this summer.

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Prolonged monsoon flooding, typhoons and storms have wreaked untold havoc in the region, leaving more than 600 people dead or missing in India, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, China, Pakistan and Vietnam in the last four months. In India alone, the damage is estimated to be worth $1 billion, with the worst-hit Orissa state accounting for $726 million.

The state-run Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said several studies suggest an intensification of the Asian summer monsoon rainfall with increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Still, it is not clear that this is entirely because of climate change, especially in India, it said.

After pummeling the Philippines and China this week, Typhoon Nesat was downgraded to tropical storm just before churning into northern Vietnam Friday afternoon with sustained wind speeds of up to 73 mph, according to the national weather forecasting center.

Heavy rains were reported in northern and central areas, and warnings were issued for flash floods in low-lying areas and for landslides in mountainous regions. High winds whipped through the capital Hanoi's streets.

The storm had flooded streets across the southern Chinese island of Hainan on Thursday, forcing some 300,000 people to flee their homes, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

On Tuesday, Nesat bashed the Philippines, where it killed at least 43 people and left 30 people missing after causing one of the worst floods in the capital in decades.

Typhoon Nalgae coming
The damage was estimated at $91 million, and preparations were already under way for Typhoon Nalgae, now headed toward the northern Philippines. It's expected to reach Category 3 strength with winds hitting up to 130 mph, and make landfall late Saturday or early Sunday.

The Philippines on Friday raised an alert in a dozen northern provinces while workers were still struggling to move 120,000 people to safety after the previous storm unleashed flooding on the main Luzon island.

Towns in Pampanga and Bulacan, provinces north of the capital, were flooded and water levels continued to rise on Friday as officials had to release water from full dams nearby to make room for the rains Nalgae would bring.

Television images showed people wading in chest-deep floodwaters in Bulacan's main roads, while others were marooned on the roofs of their houses, waving for help.

"We don't know why water is rising because there are no more rains," Maribeth Galang, a resident of Calumpit in Bulacan province, said in a television interview. "We're appealing for help. We're running out of potable water, food and there's no electricity. Where are the rescue people?"

Local officials appealed to people to move to safer areas.

"We're asking you to leave now, don't wait for us because we have limited manpower and resources," Lilia Pineda, governor of Pampanga province.

Mekong Delta deaths
The typhoons come on top of seasonal flooding in Vietnam's southern Mekong Delta, where eight people were killed in four provinces this week. In addition, a woman and her grandchild were killed Thursday when their home was buried by a landslide in the northern province of Yen Bai.

In Cambodia, 141 people have died since Aug. 13 due to Mekong flooding and flash floods, the worst since 2000, the Cambodian National Disaster Management Committee said.

Some 150,000 families had been affected by the flooding in Cambodia this year and another 15,000 evacuated to higher ground, said Men Neary Sopheak, deputy secretary general of Cambodia's Red Cross.

Other parts of Asia have not been spared either.

Two typhoons hit Japan this month, leaving at least 106 people dead or missing.

In Thailand, the disaster department said 188 people have been killed and three others remain missing after a series of tropical storms since late July. Nearly 2 million people have been affected by floods and mudslides, and 122 roads are impassable.

Story: Typhoon moves to Vietnam after hitting China

Heavy rains in Chiang Mai, Thailand's second-biggest city, caused the Ping River to burst its banks and flooded the railway station, forcing a temporary shutdown in train service to northern Thailand. Meanwhile, 122 highways and roads nationwide are impassable.

More rainfall was forecast in northern Thailand for the weekend.

In the Indian state of Orissa, monsoon flooding following severe drought earlier this year has killed at least 81 people since August, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. The state is asking for about $726 million in federal funds to help cope with the destruction.

The government says 18 million people were affected by the floods in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, where 168 people have been killed since June and the damage is estimated to be worth $285 million. Flooding has also hit the eastern states of Bihar and West Bengal, and Assam in the northeast.

In Pakistan, monsoon rains since early August have flooded large parts of the southern Sindh province, which is still recovering from extreme flooding from a year ago. The government says 7 million people have been affected.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44727622/ns/weather/

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