Forecast at 11am on August 25, storm No. 5 will affect the mainland of Central Vietnam

By the morning of August 25, localities in the Central region of our country had basically completed the evacuation of people in dangerous areas to safe places; and deployed necessary measures to prevent and combat storm No.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspects and encourages forces reinforcing the Hoi Thong dike in Dan Hai commune, Ha Tinh . Photo: Provided by Ha Tinh Police

On the morning of August 25, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha held a meeting of the Forward Steering Committee on responding to storm No. 5 (storm Kajiki), located at the Command Center of Military Region 4.

The Deputy Prime Minister assessed that storm No. 5 would make landfall at 11:00 a.m. on August 25; directed sectors and localities to put the safety of people's lives first; proactively grasp the situation, and immediately propose plans to mobilize forces within the next 3 hours - the "golden time" to deploy response measures.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha assigned the Ministry of National Defense to coordinate with telecommunications corporations Viettel and VNPT to ensure a smooth communication system to serve command and operation.

Forecast of the direction and time of landfall of storm No. 5. Source: nchmf

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 7:00 a.m. on August 25, the center of storm No. 5 was about 160 km east-southeast of Nghe An, about 145 km east of Ha Tinh, and about 155 km east-northeast of Bac Quang Tri, with the strongest wind at level 14, gusting to level 17. Storm No. 5 is forecast to continue moving west-northwest at a speed of 15-20 km/h.

According to the Military Region 4 Command, all forces of the Military Region are on 100% standby. More than 500 officers and soldiers have participated in reinforcing the critical dike in Nghi Xuan (Ha Tinh); at the same time, they have joined the people in strengthening houses to prevent damage.

To proactively respond when the storm makes landfall, 21 regional defense clusters and 84 border posts in the Military Region have stockpiled 426 tons of essential food (rice, instant noodles, dry food...) to promptly support people in case of isolation.

Propaganda and guidance work for people to raise their vigilance and ensure their own safety have also been widely deployed. Currently, Military Region 4 has prepared 16,500 officers and soldiers along with 107,000 militiamen to participate in evacuating people, overcoming consequences and responding to the storm.

Authorities help people in Thien Cam commune, Ha Tinh province evacuate to avoid storm No. 5. Photo: Provided by Military Region 4.

Compiled data from the Border Guards of provinces from Quang Ninh to Hue city shows that the units have notified, counted, and instructed 59,617 vehicles/248,843 people about the storm's developments and direction so that they can proactively avoid it. By 8:00 p.m. on August 24, all fishing boats from Quang Ninh - Hue had returned to shore and anchored, with no vehicles operating at sea. There has been no information about damage to boats due to storm No. 5.

According to the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province, the locality has completed the evacuation of all 17 coastal communes, bringing 445 households with 10,134 people to safety. However, the Hoi Thong dike (Nghi Xuan) is still a hot spot. More than 600 officers and soldiers along with 500 union members, youths and residents, a total of nearly 1,600 people are focusing on reinforcing this dike. This dike is assessed to have limited endurance, while the storm is forecast to reach level 14, gusting to level 17.

Ha Tinh Provincial Police increased forces to reinforce Hoi Thong dike (Nghi Xuan commune). Photo: Provided by Ha Tinh Police

In Nghe An province, authorities have evacuated 10,242 households with 39,476 people, an increase of 220 households compared to the plan on August 24. All residents have been moved to safe areas. The province currently has 82km of sea dykes, of which 53.3km have embankments, but they are only designed to withstand level 10 storms. Vulnerable points in Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, and Nghi Loc are deploying forces on standby, ready to handle incidents.

In Thanh Hoa province, from last night to the early morning of August 25, nearly 1,800 households in areas bordering Nghe An were evacuated and continued to evacuate people in Hoang Hoa, Sam Son, Quang Xuong, Nghi Son. The locality also temporarily suspended school for two days, August 25 and 26, to ensure the safety of students. The province has prepared enough food, food, and drinking water for people at the evacuation site, and at the same time established a forward command post directly in the area.

Quang Tri police help people move their boats to a safe place to avoid the storm. Photo: Provided by Quang Tri police

According to assessments, the North Central localities are entering an urgent phase, when storm No. 5 is expected to make landfall with an intensity much higher than the current dike system's load-bearing capacity. The work of evacuating people and reinforcing sea dikes continues to be a key task, aiming to minimize damage when the storm makes landfall.

One noteworthy piece of information is that according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the entire sea dyke system from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri is currently designed to withstand storms of level 9-10, gusts of level 11. However, storm No. 5 is forecast to reach level 11, gusts of level 13-14, exceeding the design threshold. The biggest risk is the phenomenon of seawater overflowing the dyke surface, causing widespread flooding; the possibility of dyke failure may occur at some vulnerable points. Localities have mobilized human and material resources to reinforce and protect these vulnerable sea dykes.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/du-bao-11h-trua-25-8-bao-so-5-se-anh-huong-den-dat-lien-mien-trung-713866.html