Direction of Goni, the 10th storm to reach the East Sea this year (Photo: nchmf.gov.vn)

According to Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem, the storm entered the East Sea gusting up to 88 kilometres per hour around 30 hours it hit the Philippines with velocity of up to 183 kilometres.

It will make landfall with wind speeds of 60-75 kilometres per hour, and there is a little chance for it to gain strength, he said.

From 1am on November 3 to 1am on November 4, the storm is 310 kilometres southeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, and moves westwards at 10 kilometres per hour.

For the next 24 hours, it will lay centred around 190 kilometres off the waters from Quang Ngai to Khanh Hoa provinces, with the strongest winds of up to 90 kilometres per hour.

From 1am on November 5 to 1am November 6, the storm is expected to move southwest, and weaken to a low tropical pressure zone.

Khiem said heavy rain will blanket the central region from November 4.

Provinces from Thua Thien-Hue to Phu Yen and north of the Central Highlands will see average rainfall of 100-200mm from November 4-6.

Provinces from Nghe An to Quang Tri will see average rainfall of 150-300 m from November 5 to 7. Flood warnings have been issued in river areas in provinces from Quang Nam to Quang Ngai.

At a meeting of Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on November 2, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that Goni was a super typhoon that lost strength when entering the East Sea.

“It’s difficult to predict the storm's developments, however” he said, calling for close observation of the storm.

“We must prepare for the possibility of flash floods, landslides and damage to dams and reservoirs,” Cuong said.

Vessels at sea told to seek safe shelter to avoid Typhoon Goni

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung (standing) speaks at the meeting on Typhoon Goni response on November 2

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on November 2 asked authorised agencies and coastal localities to immediately direct vessels at sea to move to safe shelter and to evacuate people from aquatic farms at sea and at-risk areas to avoid the worst of Typhoon Goni, the 10th storm to appear in the East Sea this year.

He made the request at a meeting to identify measures to respond to the typhoon, forecast to bring torrential rains to Vietnam’s central region which is currently struggling to overcome the consequences of the recent devastating floods.

After hitting the southern part of Luzon island in the Philippines on November 1, killing at least 10 people and displacing over 390,000, Goni is predicted to make landfall in Vietnam on November 5. At 7 am on October 3, the storm is forecast be about 300 km east-southeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago and will continue to move west-northwest at a speed of 15-20 km/h.

Deputy PM Dung, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, told localities to brace for the storm and, at the same time, continue to overcome the consequences of recent natural calamities.

It is necessary to ensure safety at reservoirs, irrigation systems, and dyke networks, he stressed, asking public security and military forces to work closely with localities in preparing against Typhoon Goni and addressing the consequences, especially in search and rescue efforts.

He urged the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to soon complete a map on areas with a high risk of landslides and flooding.

When discussing the recent devastating landslides, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh said that a map for northern and north-central localities has been made for the 2019-2020 period.

The ministry will this year work closely with relevant agencies and central Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces to expand the map.

Earlier, on October 31, the national committee sent a dispatch to steering committees in cities and provinces from Thanh Hoa south to Khanh Hoa, asking for a strengthening of measures to respond to Typhoon Goni.

According to Major General Le Quang Dao, Vice Commander and Chief of Staff of the Border Guard High Command, the force has given guidelines on avoiding the storm to 49,585 fishing vessels with 233,327 crew members, including 1,255 vessels now at sea with 12,767 fishermen onboard.

Thirty border guard bases have been moved to safer locations, he said, while 1,876 others have prepared plans to minimise losses.

At the meeting, the national committee reported that, as of 6 am on November 2, Molave, the ninth storm to appear in the East Sea this year, had killed 33 people and left 49 others missing, while flooding 15,848 houses./.VNA

Storm Goni forecasted to bring heavy rains for Vietnam

Storm Goni, the tenth storm of the year, entered the East Sea on Monday morning and is forecasted to cause torrential rains for the central region of Vietnam.