More than 600,000 people from the army, militia and military reserve are ready to be mobilised to respond to storm Bebinca, forecast to hit the mainland of Vietnam on the night of August 16.

A border guard officer (R) helps fishermen in Quang Tien ward of Sam Son town, the northern central province of Thanh Hoa, prepare for storm Bebinca

Nearly 3,000 vehicles of all kinds, including ships, canoes, automobiles and other specialised vehicles, have also been geared up for the work.

The Ministry of National Defence has sent an urgent message requesting military units in storm-prone areas to closely follow the storm’s movement and get ready to send forces and vehicles to help local residents cope with the storm.

They were also asked to coordinate with local authorities to examine important dykes, embankments, reservoirs and dams, as well as vulnerable areas, while being prepared  to assist evacuating people to safe places.

Meanwhile, the border guard force of coastal localities from northern Quang Ninh to central Quang Binh provinces have been working with local administrations to inform nearly 40,000 boats and over 150,000 workers at sea about Bebinca and instruct them to take shelter.

The storm, the fourth appearing in the East Sea this year, passed the Leizhou Peninsular of China and entered the Tonkin Gulf on August 16.

At 1pm of August 16, its centre was at about 19.9 degrees north and 107.8 degrees east, just above Bach Long Vi Island of Vietnam. It sustained wind speeds of up to 75-100km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

In the next 24 hours, Bebinca is predicted to move westwards at about 10km per hour.

It will directly affect the coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Nghe An on the night of August 16.

Later, the storm will move further into the mainland and abate into a tropical depression whose centre will be at around 20.1 degrees north and 105 degrees east, above the Vietnam-Laos border area, at 1pm of August 17.

As a result, heavy rains with average rainfall of 250 – 300mm are likely to occur in northern and northern central regions from August 16 to August 18. Notably, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces may record a rainfall of up to 400 – 500mm.

The forecasting centre also warned about a high risk of landslides and flash floods in mountainous areas along with inundation in low-lying and urban areas. –VNA