Coastal provinces are bracing themselves for tropical storm Nari, the 11 th storm to hit Vietnam this year.
Thousands of fishing vessels have been directed to find safe harbour, with the storm forecast hit the central coastal provinces of Quang Tri and Quang Ngai on October 15, according to the National Steering Committee for Flood Prevention and Control.
The central province of Nghe An has been spreading information among the public while inspecting areas vulnerable to landslides.
The province’s rescue forces and facilities are scheduled to stand ready for action on October 14.
Meanwhile, the central province of Ha Tinh mobilised about 1,000 people, including army soldiers, public security forces, border guards and locals to build sea dykes through Thach Kim commune.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorlogical Forecasting, by 7am on October 13, the storm was centrered at 15.3 degrees north latitude, 114.7 degrees east longitude, about 300 kilometres southeast of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, and packing maximum winds between 134 and 149 kilometres per hour.
In the next 24 hours, the storm is expected to intensify as it moves west at around 15-20 kilometres per hour.
Earlier, on October 12, the National Steering Committee for Flood Prevention and Control issued an urgent notice, calling for cities and provinces to call in off-shore fishing vessels and prepare for evacuations of at-risk areas.-VNA
