Tropical Storm Soudelor (2009)

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued public storm signal one for nine regions of the northern Philippines.[15] As a tropical depression, Soudelor brushed northern Luzon in the Philippines, producing upwards of 330 mm (13 in) of rainfall which resulted in flash flooding and landslides.[16] In Ilocos Norte, major roadways were completely blocked by high waters.[17] The storm affected 19,845 people throughout the Philippines and one person was killed after being swept away by a fast current.[18] At least ten villages were flooded during the storm.[19] Three homes were destroyed and two more were damaged by Soudelor.[17][18] A total of 42 barangays were flooded by the storm, killing 21 cows and isolating low-lying areas.[7] On July 10, a battalion from the army engineers were deployed to the affected region to repair infrastructure.[17] Following the storm, the hardest hit town Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, was put under a state of calamity and regional aid was deployed to the area.[20] Total damage was estimated at PHP 205 million $4.4 (US 2009).[21]

Tropical Depression Soudelor making landfall in Vietnam on July 12

In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory issued standby signal No. 1 as Soudelor neared the region on July 11. The following day, the signal was raised to strong wind No. 3 due to the possibility of landfall near the region. The signal was lowered back to No. 1 later that day before they were all canceled early on July 12.[22] The emergency response system was put at level four water-disaster in preparation for torrential rainfall from Soudelor.[23] A red alert was also declared for the affected regions.[24] Torrential rains in Hainan caused significant flooding that killed 15 hikers and left several others missing. Numerous roads were also cut off or destroyed by landslides and 30 villages were inundated with flood waters.[25] In Hong Kong, outer bands of Soudelor produced squally rain showers on July 11.[22] About 20 trees reportedly fell within Hong Kong, one of which struck a mini bus terminal.[22] The direct economic loss to china was estimated at about RMB 1.71billion, ($5.4 million 2009 USD).[26]

Ahead of the storm, 4,000 fishing vessels were ordered to return to port and up to 200 volunteers were mobilized to deal with damages from the storm. Officials evacuated people from 297 residences to higher grounds and reported that 977 other homes were in threatened areas. Roughly VND71 billion (US$3.98 million) was set aside by the Government of Vietnam to assist residents in natural disasters, including Soudelor.[27] An estimated 5,000 sandbags and 1,000 cubic meters of canvas were distributed to flood-prone areas.[28] The remnants of Soudelor produced widespread torrential rains in Northern Vietnam on July 13. Rainfall totals peaked at 250 mm (9.8 in) in the region.[29] Heavy rainfall, amounting to 130 mm (5.1 in), was also recorded in Hanoi. The capital city experienced flash flooding, inundating numerous streets and buildings. Two men were killed by lightning strikes associated with the storm. Officials reported that at least 13 large trees had been downed by high winds.[30] Flood waters in the hardest-hit areas reached a depth of 0.35 m (1.1 ft). One person was killed after being swept away. A tornado also touched down during the storm, destroying the roofs of three homes. Thousands of hectares of croplands were inundated by flood waters. Following the storm, 1,000 tonnes of rice was allocated for victims of the floods.[31]