Haiyan changes course
Hanoi (dpa) - Thousands of people were heading home in central Vietnam Sunday after Typhoon Haiyan changed course and was expected to make landfall a day later.
Around 200,000 people relocated in Quang Nam province were on the central coast were allowed to return as the brunt of the storm was expected to pass on by.
"Everyone is being told they can go home now, we're looking forward to it," said Caroline Mills, a British travel writer who lives on the coast near Hoi An town in the province. "All of our
neighbours were evacuated."
Officials now predict the typhoon will make landfall in Thanh Hoa province, farther north than originally expected, at about 9 am Monday.
"The prediction at the moment is that the storm has weakened overnight. It was predicted yesterday to potentially be a category three or two, and now it's predicted to hit as a tropical storm when it makes landfall," Red Cross Vietnam director Michael Annears said.
On Saturday, authorities relocated about 500,000 people from central provinces ahead of the storm, according to local media. Schools were closed and fishing boats off the coast of central and southern provinces were told to return to shore or leave dangerous areas.
