Nghe An plans to evacuate 16,200 people depending on storm level 8

On the afternoon of October 12, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held a meeting to direct the response to storm No. 8. Comrade Le Van Thanh - Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control chaired.

At Nghe An bridge, there were comrades: Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Hoang Nghia Hieu - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and representatives of departments and branches who are members of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Control and Search and Rescue.

Panorama of the conference at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Quang An

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 1 p.m. on October 12, the eye of the storm was at about 18.8 degrees North latitude; 117.6 degrees East longitude, about 610 km East-Northeast of the Hoang Sa archipelago. The strongest wind near the eye of the storm was at level 10-11, gusting to level 13. It is forecast that in the next 24 hours, the storm will move quickly in a westerly direction, traveling 25-30 km per hour and is likely to strengthen. At 1 p.m. on October 13, the eye of the storm was at about 18.9 degrees North latitude; 111.1 degrees East longitude, right on the sea east of Hainan Island (China). The strongest wind near the eye of the storm was at level 11, gusting to level 14.

Forecast from the night of October 13 to October 14, coastal areasNorth Central regionStrong winds of level 6-7, gusts of level 9 are forecast. From the afternoon of October 13-14, due to the direct impact of storm No. 8, the North Central region will have heavy to very heavy rain and thunderstorms, especially in Nghe An and Ha Tinh, some places will have over 300 mm.

From October 15, due to the influence of the tropical convergence zone combined with the strengthening cold air, there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain in the North Central provinces. There is a high risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas and flooding in low-lying areas and along rivers.

The comrades presiding at the Nghe An bridge point. Photo: Quang An

In Nghe An, there are 3,438 vehicles with 17,190 workers directly fishing at sea. To ensure the safety of fishermen and boats, the province has issued a telegram prohibiting boats from going to sea from 0:00 on October 10. Currently, the province is directing to strengthen inspection of mooring of boats and ships at the mooring area, ensuring the safety of vehicles, boats and ships when storm No. 8 makes landfall.

Currently, the whole province still has more than 11,060 hectares of unharvested winter-spring rice. The harvestable area is being urgently harvested according to the criterion of "green house is better than old field". The whole province currently has 1,061 large and small lakes and dams; currently, 1,035 lakes are full of water, 23 lakes have reached over 70% of the design capacity, 2 lakes have reached about 50 - 70% of the design capacity; 1 remaining lake and dam is smaller than 50% of the design capacity. All lake and dam projects are being deployed and operated by localities and units according to the approved natural disaster prevention and control plan.

Connection points update the situation of storm No. 8. Photo: Quang An

Speaking at the meeting, comrade Hoang Nghia Hieu - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee reported on the response to storm No. 8.Nghe An, emphasizing: There are many lakes and dams in the area, many of which are small, weak, and old. Currently, there are more than 1,000 lakes full of water. This is a cause for concern when a storm makes landfall.

Nghe An has planned to evacuate 16,200 people according to each level of storm No. 8, however, the province has more than 6,500 people returning from the South, staying in quarantine areas - places that are often used as evacuation sites. Therefore, the locality is currently having to find new places, ensuring distance and safety from natural disasters and epidemics.

In addition, Nghe An currently has 33 landslide sites, however, due to limited funding, they cannot be completely repaired. At these sites, the province has directed localities to be ready to safely evacuate people.

Provincial leaders requested the Central Government to increase the broadcasting time of news bulletins so that people, especially those in remote areas, can get information about the storm. At the same time, they should prepare vehicles and rescue forces for Nghe An when a big storm makes landfall.

Nghe An fishermen anchor their boats safely. Photo: Quang An

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh highly appreciated the preparations for storm No. 8 of localities; at the same time, he emphasized that this is a storm that is forecast to have fast speed, strong winds, and complex developments, so units and localities must absolutely not be subjective and urgently deploy measures to minimize damage.

In addition, localities must focus on screening and immediately evacuating households in dangerous areas, focusing on repairing weak lakes, dams, and dykes. The evacuation area must be separate from the Covid-19 patient quarantine areas to ensure safety in disease prevention and control. In addition, many people from the South are still flocking back, so localities must proactively ensure the welfare of the people, bring them to safe gathering points, and only allow people to continue moving when the storm has passed./.