Typhoon Cecil (1985)

Typhoon Cecil, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Rubing, was one of two typhoons to strike Vietnam within a week in 1985. Cecil originated from an area of convection that tracked west-northwest and passed south of Palau late on October 9. The disturbance became increasingly defined as it moved through the southern Philippines. On October 12, a tropical depression developed, and the next day, the depression was upgraded into a tropical storm. Cecil turned northwest over the open waters of the South China Sea as it steadily strengthened, and was classified as a typhoon on October 14. After unexpectedly slowing down, Cecil continued to intensify and at noon of October 14, reached its peak intensity of 145 km/h (90 mph). Land interaction with Vietnam triggered a weakening trend. After turning west, Cecil moved onshore just north of Huế at 22:00 UTC on October 15. After tracking into Laos, the typhoon dissipated 39 hours later. Across Vietnam, 229,039 homes were damaged and 47,757 others were destroyed. At least 7,000 schools were damaged and 1,900 others were destroyed. Moreover, 70,000 t (77,160 short tons) of rice were wiped away. Overall, 769 people were killed, 128 were reported missing, and 200 were wounded. Approximately 3,000 ha (7,400 acres) of farmland were flooded and at least 225,000 others were left homeless. In all, damage was estimated at US$65 million. Typhoon Cecil was considered the worst natural disaster in the central portion of the country in history. Elsewhere, one person was killed in Thailand.