Tropical storm Son Tinh, the third entering the East Sea in 2018, is forecast to make landfall in coastal localities from Thai Binh to Ha Tinh on late July 18, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.


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A team of border guards and representatives from the Cua Sot fishing port's management board in Ha Tinh province carry out a patrol in a shelter area for boats

At 4:00 am of July 18, its eye was about 470km west of Hoang Sa with the strongest winds near the storm’s eye reaching 75-90km per hour.

In the next 24 hours, Storm Son Tinh is quickly moving in westerly direction at a speed of 25-30km per hour.

On its moving course, the storm caused strong rainstorms and rough sea along the west of the North East Sea, and high tides in coastal areas of the northern and north central region. 

It will also cause heavy rains until July 20 in the northern delta and midland. 

Mountainous areas in the northern and north central regions have been put on high alert for flash floods and landslides, while flood is forecast for lowland and urban areas in the provinces of Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thai Binh, Hoa Binh and Hanoi, as well as localities from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri.

Localities across the northern and north central regions are bracing for the storm. 

The northern province of Nam Dinh has banned ships to go offshore as from 5am July 18, while vessels operating at sea have been asked to return to land or seek shelters. The provincial authorities also ordered the evacuation of workers at aquaculture farms along the coast before 12am of July 18.

On July 17, the Steering Committee of natural disaster prevention, search and rescue and firefighting of the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh issued a notice on banning vessels from going offshore, and tourism boats from anchoring at tourism sites at sea as from 18pm the same day. 

In the central coastal province of Quang Tri, all 2,312 fishing boats of the province with 7,500 labourers on board had been informed of the storm, and 2,274 of them had returned to land in the afternoon of July 17.

Vietnam braces for tropical storm Son Tinh


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Tran Quang Hoai, General Director of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA), has underlined the urgent need to set up delegations to inspect the safety of dykes and reservoirs in important areas as tropical low pressure system has turned into a storm named Son Tinh. 

At a meeting in Hanoi on July 17, Hoai, who is also a permanent member of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, asked localities and the Border Guard High Command to keep a close watch on the development of the storm, and guide boats to move out of dangerous areas. 

Apart from evacuating fish cages, localities should work to ensure the safety for tourists, he said, noting that in mountainous areas, which are forecast to be swept by torrential rains, the information work must be stepped up to help local residents and authorities promptly evacuate. 

Regarding the operation of reservoirs, Hoai urged the VDMA to coordinate with the Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN) in lowering water levels of the dams when the storm land in. 

At the meeting, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the storm and tropical low pressure are expected to develop complicatedly, bringing more rains on July 18 with total rainfalls from 200-300mm, mainly in the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, and the northern mountainous provinces of Hoa Binh and Son La. 

According to Colonel Tran Duong Kien, from the Border Guard High Command, 41,042 boats at sea have been informed about the storm, the third of its kind to affect the country this year. 

In the southern province of Kien Giang, all high-speed boats operating on routes from Rach Gia city to Nam Du and Phu Quoc islands, and from Ha Tien town to Phu Quoc have been postponed as impacts of the storm. 

Storm Son Tinh is quickly moving west at 35 km per hour. By 10am on July 18 morning, the storm will be 270km to the east of the coast from the northern port city of Hai Phong to Ha Tinh province with the strongest winds near the storm’s eye reaching 75km per hour, said the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

Due to the storm, seas were rough and thunderstorms appeared in the northern part of the East Sea, including Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

The centre warned that water levels could rise by 2-4 metres upstream the Hong (Red) – Thai Binh river system, and swell by 3-7 metres in upstream rivers from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri.

Mountainous areas in the provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh have been put on high alert for flash floods and landslides, with Yen Bai particularly at risk last night, the centre said.

Floods are also forecast in lowland and urban areas in the provinces of Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thai Binh, Hoa Binh and Hanoi, as well as localities from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri.

Localities urged to protect crops from torrential rains

The Directorate of Water Resources under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a notice on ensuring safety of irrigation facilities and preventing crops from being flooded by torrential rains in northern and north central regions. 

Northern and central provinces were hit by torrential rains from June 13 with rainfall from 50-250mm, that have flooded about 9,800ha of plants.  

More big rains and thunderstorms are forecast to blanket the northern and central regions for the next few days due to a tropical low pressure system that has turned into a storm named Son Tinh.

Under the notice, the directorate asked the localities and irrigation companies like Bac Duong, Bac Hung Hai, Song Nhue, Bac Nam Ha and Song Chu to promptly operate irrigation facilities to discharge water from ditches and flooded fields, especially newly-planted rice areas. 

Localities which have not yet cultivated the summer-autumn crop should wait until the end of the downpour, the notice said, urging concerned units to intensify inspections of irrigation facilities, particularly essential reservoirs. 

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that water levels could rise by 2-4 metres upstream the Hong (Red) – Thai Binh river system, and swell by 3-7 metres in upstream rivers from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri.

Mountainous areas in the provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh have been put on high alert for flash floods and landslides, with Yen Bai particularly at risk last night, the centre said.

Floods are also forecast in lowland and urban areas in the provinces of Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thai Binh, Hoa Binh and Hanoi, as well as localities from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri.

VNA