Storm No. 4 is expected to make landfall in Nghe An on Friday evening.

Pearl - Lam Tung DNUM_CIZAIZCABJ 17:36

(Baonghean.vn) - On the afternoon of August 28, under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Control and Search and Rescue held an urgent meeting with ministries, branches and the two provinces of Nghe An and Thanh Hoa on the prevention and control of storm No. 4. Also attending the meeting was Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

Quang cảnh tại điểm cầu Nghệ An. Ảnh: Lâm Tùng
Conference scene at Nghe An bridge. Photo: Lam Tung

Forecast very heavy rain and flash floods

According to the forecast of the Central Hydrometeorological Forecasting Agency, storm No. 4 with the strongest wind near the storm center at level 8 (60 - 75 km/h), gusting to level 10, the radius of strong wind at level 6, gusting to level 8 or higher is about 100 km from the storm center, and is expected to make landfall in Nghe An and Thanh Hoa on Friday evening (August 30).
Rainfall from Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh is expected to be 200 - 250mm, flood warning level 2 to 3 on Ma River, Ca River, high risk of flash floods. Rain will last until September 2 - 3.

Forecast: At 1pm tomorrow (August 29), the storm is expected to enter the East Sea. In the next 24 hours, the storm will move west, traveling about 30 km per hour and is likely to strengthen.

The storm's path on the afternoon of August 28. Photo: Hydrometeorological Station.

At 7am tomorrow morning (August 29), the eye of the storm will be at approximately 17.4 degrees North latitude; 112.8 degrees East longitude, right on the Hoang Sa archipelago. The strongest wind near the eye of the storm will be at level 8 - 9 (60 - 90 km/h), gusting to level 11.

Dangerous area in the East Sea in the next 24 hours (strong wind level 6, gust level 8 or higher), North of latitude 15.0 degrees North; East of longitude 110.5 degrees East.
As of the morning of August 30, the eye of the storm was located at approximately 18.0 degrees North latitude; 109.0 degrees East longitude, just south of Hainan Island. The strongest winds near the eye of the storm were level 9 - 10 (75 - 100 km/h), gusting to level 12.
In the next 48 to 72 hours, the storm will move in the West Northwest direction, traveling 15 - 20 km per hour, making landfall in the provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh, then weakening into a tropical depression.
At 7:00 a.m. on August 31, the center of the tropical depression was at about 19.8 degrees North latitude; 104.7 degrees East longitude, on the Vietnam - Laos border area. The strongest wind near the center of the tropical depression was level 6 - 7 (40 - 60 km/h), gusting to level 9.

Nghe An still has 1170 guests in Cua Lo and Bai Lu

At Nghe An bridge, comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee reported: Proactively responding to storm No. 4, Nghe An has strictly complied with Central Telegram No. 12, the province has sent 2 telegrams to localities on prevention and control of storm No. 4.

The whole province has 3,947 boats and 18,700 workers, of which 3,819 boats are anchored, 36 coastal fishing vessels have received information. There are 76 boats with 750 workers anchored in coastal provinces.

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Control and Search and Rescue reported on preparations to cope with storm No. 4. Photo: Lam Tung

From 5am on August 29, Nghe An will ban boats from going out to sea. Nghe An has 19,000 hectares of aquaculture, and over 16,000 hectares are still being farmed. People have been informed to have plans to prevent and control the storm. Regarding tourists, there are currently 1,170 tourists in Cua Lo and Bai Lu who have been informed of storm No. 4 to avoid it. Nghe An has also proactively planned to evacuate vulnerable areas.
In the delta, Nghe An directed people to quickly harvest summer-autumn rice, 70% has been harvested, the rest will be harvested in the next 2 days. Irrigation works are ready for operation, irrigation, and response. 18 large hydroelectric reservoirs in the area are operating according to the inter-reservoir process, the reservoir flow is safe.
Nghe An also proposed that the Central Government dispatch large-capacity ships to Cua Lo to join the locality in rescue and disaster relief work when needed and to strengthen forecasting work. Immediately after this meeting, local leaders spread out to the areas to proactively prevent and combat storm No. 4.

Absolutely do not be subjective
Directing the work of preventing and combating storm No. 4, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung emphasized: The storm falls right during the long holiday, so localities need to pay close attention. The storm is forecast to cause heavy rain over a large area, with a high risk of flash floods. Meanwhile, there are 23,000 hectares of summer-autumn crops that have not been harvested, and there are also many lakes and dams, many of which have not been upgraded.

Localities should pay attention to promptly informing tourists and evacuating people to safe places. Absolutely do not be subjective and absolutely ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

People of Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu) save the sea dike during the storm in 2017. Photo: Huu Tinh

The Command Committees for Storm Prevention, Control and Search and Rescue at all levels closely monitor the storm's developments, proactively respond to the storm, with the motto "4 on-site", minimize damage to people's lives and property, prohibit sea travel, communicate with all ships at sea, and protect coastal economic infrastructure.

Proactively protect dykes, especially vulnerable dyke sections, and pay close attention to prevention and control after storms. “Relocate people, focus on reviewing landslides, flash floods, and flash floods in localities to proactively respond because these are often the areas most severely damaged after storms,” Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung emphasized.

Pearl - Lam Tung