Central Vietnam's coasts are bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Kajiki, one of the strongest storms in years and one of the country's largest preventive evacuations. The Vietnamese government ordered the immediate evacuation of more than 586,000 people on Sunday as the storm, packing winds of up to 103 mph (166 km/h), approaches land.

Meteorologists are warning that Kajiki will strengthen in the coming hours before making landfall early Monday. Authorities are on high alert for a repeat of the devastation caused by last year's Typhoon Yagi, which killed hundreds of people in the region, including 300 in Vietnam alone, and left a trail of devastation in its wake.

Army assistance

The evacuation order applies to residents of coastal and low-lying areas in Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Hue and Da Nang provinces, which are known for their tourist attractions and dense population. The military has been called in to assist with evacuations and property security, helping residents move to safer, higher ground. People in the storm's expected path have been ordered not to leave their homes or emergency shelters after 2 p.m. CET.

The conditions are extremely dangerous and unpredictable for any vessels or facilities, such as tourist ships, fishing boats and fish farms, according to AFP news agency, concerned officials from the local Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said.

Destructive winds

In addition to the evacuations, authorities have taken other emergency measures. National carrier Vietnam Airlines canceled at least 22 flights to and from central cities on Sunday and Monday, while fishing boats were banned from sailing and ordered to seek safe haven in ports.

Meteorologists predict that the typhoon will weaken slightly as it makes landfall, but it will still strike with devastating force. Winds of up to 200 km/h are expected, and extreme rainfall amounts of up to 300 to 400 millimeters of rain are expected locally. The biggest threat, besides the wind, is storm surges, which could reach heights of two to four meters along the coast and flood large areas.

While Vietnam braces for the worst, the storm has already hit the Chinese island of Hainan, where authorities have issued warnings of downpours that could bring up to 320 millimeters of rain.