On 10 November 2013, the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters was activated for Vietnam, where Tropical Storm Haiyan made landfall on early Monday morning bringing concerns whether it will cause widespread flooding. The activation of the Charter was requested by UNITAR/UNOSAT on behalf of UNOCHA, in order to support the affected country with satellite-based information. The rainfall from the storm is the primary concern for its impact on Vietnam given that 10-20 cm of rain may fall over the next two days and even 40 cm in some specific areas. As this may result in floods and landslides 600,000 people have been already evacuated from the northern part of the country, where Haiyan's impact is expected to result higher.
Even though typhoon Haiyan has already weakened considerably since it passed over the Philippines last week, 11 people have died so far in Vietnam. Consequently Haiyan is still classified as a severe Tropical Storm, although expected to weaken further as it moves north towards China.
