Deputy PM calls for drastic response to Storm Vamco

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has asked localities and competent agencies to strengthen their response to Storm Vamco, forecast to hit the central region over the next few days.

Deputy Prime Minister cum Head of the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Response Trinh Dinh Dung speaks at the meeting on November 13, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Hoa Lan)
Deputy Prime Minister cum Head of the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Response Trinh Dinh Dung speaks at the meeting on November 13, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Hoa Lan)

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Speaking at a meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Response on November 13, Dung, who is also the committee’s head, stated that as an erratic and unpredictable storm, Vamco is likely to retain its strength upon making landfall in early morning of November 15.

He urged central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Binh Dinh to urgently prepare plans to evacuate local people out of areas prone to flooding and landslide, while protecting construction and dams in order to limit the damage to the central region, which has suffered continuous natural disasters for over a month.

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Position and direction of Storm Vamco. (Photo: nchmf.gov.vn)

According to the national weather service, as of 4 pm today, the storm's position was about 240km from Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands to the southeast, with winds of up to 135 km/h.

Over the next 24 hours it will move west-northwest at a speed of 20 km/h. During the next 24 to 48 hours, the storm will move mainly to the northwest, at a speed of 15-20 km/h, before making landfall in provinces from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien Hue, gradually weakening thereafter into a tropical depression.

Strong winds, rough seas and torrential downpours have already lashed central localities, with heavy rains forecast for provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Nam from November 14-16, while a high risk of flash floods and landslides is present in mountainous and low-lying areas in provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Ngai.

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Functional forces clear a landslide site on the 40B National Highway through Tra Tan commune, Bac Tra My district, Quang Nam province. (Photo: NDO/Van Binh)

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Response asked localities to keep a close eye on the storm’s developments, inform boat owners of its direction, work to ensure all boats are at anchor in safe shelter, and outline evacuation plans.

Cities and provinces from Thanh Hoa to Binh Thuan have instructed 59,752 vessels with over 289,000 people on board to move to safer waters. Quang Nam province plans to evacuate 161,000 households before noon tomorrow.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday also issued a telegram urging coastal localities from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen and related ministries and agencies to take urgent measures in dealing with the coming storm, which is the 13th to hit Vietnam so far this year.