The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the low pressure would head to the south-central coast. It also reported that it was highly likely that a new low-pressure area would be formed to the east of Philippines on October 13-14 and that would grow into a storm in the East Sea.

Since Wednesday morning, many areas from Ha Tinh to Phu Yen provinces have faced torrential rain. This phenomenon would continue in the central region after October 11.

Lots of areas in Thua Thien-Hue Province have been put deep under water. This is the first time the wooden bridge over the Huong River has been submerged and pedestrian roads around the river are in the same situation.

Many trees in Hue City have also uprooted because of violent gusts of wind.

Meanwhile, Quang Tri Province has prepared solutions to evacuate households in vulnerable areas. Some mountainous areas in the province have been isolated. Local authorities have called on 2,300 ships and boats to shelter to ensure safety.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep warned that the central region may face historic flooding similar to that seen in 2017.

 

Central region warned of historic flooding

Ministries and local authorities discussed plans to minimise damage as the central region is warned of having high rainfall along with flash floods. 

The National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep held a meeting about new low-pressure areas and heavy rains in the central region on October 7.

Mai Van Khiem, head of Vietnam National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the low pressure will head to the South Central Coast. Furthermore, it's highly likely that a new low-pressure area will be formed in the east of Philippines on October 13-14 and will grow into a storm in the East Sea.

"After heavy rains, we'll continue having extreme weather," he said.

Heavy rain will occur from October 7 to 11 from Ha Tinh to Quang Ngai provinces. Another heavy rain will occur depending on the movement of the storm. Total rainfall of 500-1,000mm is predicted. Some places will have even more rain. Flash flood warnings have been raised in the mountainous areas in the northwest of the central region and the south-central coast.

Dong Van Tu, head of the Directorate of Water Resources, said there was no need to worry since many reservoirs in the central region are having low water levels. Large reservoirs that play an important role in irrigation like Ta Trach, Cua Ngan and Ngan Tuoi reservoirs have the capacity to store two billion cubic metres of water.

"We don't have to worry about Ta Trach Reservoir but I'm worried about Binh Dien Reservoir in Hue so we need a co-operation plan between these two reservoirs," he said.

25,000ha of rice still hasn't been harvested in the north-central coast and 150,000ha in the south-central coast and Central Highlands. Since 50% of the crops can be harvested now, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is directing locality authorities to quickly complete the task.

According to Ngo Son Hai, deputy director of EVN said they managed 20 hydro reservoirs in the central region. The reservoirs are only at 30-40% of their capacity so they were prepared to deal with heavy rain. Hai asked them to tighten monitoring and have plans to discharge water.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep said since the average rainfall is forecast at 1,000mm, the Central Region may face historic flooding similar to that seen in 2017. All units must keep a close eye on the reservoirs. The police and the military will be on standby.

 

Some photos of the flooding in Thua Thien-Hue Province:

 

On Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Thua Thien-Hue  

 

 

Fences used to block areas which are seriously inundated  

 

At a row of rooms leased to students 

 

The wooden bridge across Huong River submerged.

 

Dtinews/Tienphong

 

Central Vietnam told to prepare for dangerous weather

Central Vietnam told to prepare for dangerous weather

The central region is forecast to experience prolonged heavy rains and floods in the coming days due to a low-pressure system in the East Sea that may grow into a tropical depression.