LESSONS FROM TYPHOON NARI

This report evaluates the impact of Typhoon Nari on Da Nang city and assesses the effectiveness of a storm-resistant housing project implemented by ISET-Vietnam and the Da Nang Women's Union. While the city suffered extensive damage to infrastructure and the ecosystem, 100% of the project's beneficiary households remained safe, demonstrating that investment in preparedness is more cost-effective than post-disaster recovery.

• Typhoon Nari landed in Da Nang city on October 15, 2013, with level-12 winds and level-13 gusts (130km/h), causing total estimated damages of 868.8 billion VND (over 41 million USD).
• The typhoon caused significant infrastructure failure in Da Nang, including the loss of over 1,200 street light posts and electricity sector damages of approximately 30 billion VND (over 1.4 million USD). The transport system suffered about 45 billion VND (over 2.1 million USD) in damages, with obstructions on Highway 1A and the North-South railway section in Lien Chieu district.
• Housing and education facilities suffered 141.6 billion VND in damages, with 122 houses collapsing, 1,100 losing roofs, and over 4,200 being seriously damaged. Education losses included 100 torn-off classroom roofs and 35 damaged classrooms and kindergartens, totaling over 2.1 million USD.
• The city's ecosystem experienced unprecedented trauma, with over 40,000 trees knocked down, resulting in a loss of up to 260 billion VND (~12.4 million USD). This was attributed to the storm's 8-hour duration and the fact that most trees were only 10–15 years old.
• A storm-resistant housing project providing credit loans, technical support, and training proved 100% effective; none of the 244 beneficiary households suffered damages during Typhoon Nari. The design focused on five elements: simple building forms, pitch roofs (30-45º), stronger structures, a solid room for safe failure, and secure connections between roof elements and the main structure.
• The report concludes that investment in preparation is more cost-effective than post-disaster recovery. While the city government provided recovery funds (10 million VND for collapsed houses and 4 million VND for blown roofs), these did not improve resilience because repairs often ignored storm-resistant techniques.
• Urban planning in Da Nang has failed to adequately consider extreme weather, particularly regarding sea reclamation and seaside/riverside development. The report notes a lack of contingency plans for power and water supply, which were unserviceable for up to three days in large areas during the typhoon.

APA

Phong, T. V. G. (2013). LESSONS FROM TYPHOON NARI. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ISET2013_Lessons-From-Typhoon-Nari_131022c.pdf

Chicago

Phong, Tran Van Giai. LESSONS FROM TYPHOON NARI. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ISET2013_Lessons-From-Typhoon-Nari_131022c.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Phong |first1=Tran Van Giai |title=LESSONS FROM TYPHOON NARI |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=October 2013 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ISET2013_Lessons-From-Typhoon-Nari_131022c.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{phong2013lessons, author = {Phong, Tran Van Giai}, title = {{LESSONS FROM TYPHOON NARI}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = oct, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ISET2013_Lessons-From-Typhoon-Nari_131022c.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }