Typhoon Kills 32 in Vietnam

Storm expected to wallop southeast tomorrow

(NEWSER) - Frightened North Carolinians fleeing Irene are jamming highways as the East Coast steels for what could be the biggest hurricane in decades. At least seven states have now declared a state of emergency, and hundreds of flights are being canceled. Gas stations are running out of fuel and ATMs have been emptied of cash as Americans hit the road for a bumper-to-bumper trip out of Irene's angry path. The Category 3 storm is expected to hit the Southeast sometime tomorrow, and hundreds of thousands of residents have been ordered out of their homes in three North Carolina counties. Norfolk, Va., is also ordering residents to evacuate , and Washington, DC, has been forced to postpone Sunday's planned MLK Memorial dedication . More»

Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, China hit; at least 35 dead

(AP) - A typhoon-spawned mudslide engulfed a mountain village in southern Taiwan, burying up to 600 people, a police official and a rescued villager said today. Earlier, Typhoon Morakot had struck the Philippines, leaving at least 22 dead. Another typhoon slammed into Japan's west coast today, bringing heavy rain that triggered floods and landslides that left at least 13 people dead and another 10 reported missing. More»

(NEWSER) - Typhoon Morakot shredded homes, sent water gushing over banks, and uprooted trees in southeast China yesterday, leaving thousands of people stranded. The storm left a trail of destruction in the Philippines and Taiwan, killing dozens, before striking China's coast. The storm's eye turned the sky black and torrential rains washed fish from mudflat fish farms, reports CNN. A separate typhoon hit Japan today, killing 12. More»

Made landfall in Florida early this morning

(NEWSER) - Tropical Storm Beryl is here, and it greeted the Southeast by walloping it with 70mph winds—nearly as powerful as a hurricane's. The storm made landfall just after midnight near Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and is set to move through Florida and Georgia. Though the storm's maximum sustained winds have dropped to near 50mph, today's BBQ outlook for the area isn't so rosy: Some places may see up to 12 inches of rain, the AP reports, and experts are warning of possible 2- to 4-foot floods in northeastern Florida and Georgia, as well as some flooding in South Carolina. More»

Women, children make up majority of the dead

(NEWSER) - Tropical Storm Washi blew past the Philippines today, leaving heartbreak in its wake. The death toll now sits at 652—mostly women and children—with another 900 missing, according to the local Red Cross. Another 45,000 people have been displaced in the coastal cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, reports the AP . "It's overwhelming. We didn't expect" so many dead, says the head of the country's disaster-response agency, adding that authorities are continuing to find bodies floating at sea. More»