VietNamNet Bridge – Haiyan, the most powerful storm in the past decade, is moving quickly towards the East Sea and is forecast to pound central coastal provinces on November 10.

At 04.00am on November 8, Haiyan was churning through the eastern part of the sea off the Philippines’ central region, packing winds of up to 221kph near its eye.

Weather experts forecast in the next 24 hours the typhoon will travel quickly between west and north-west at a speed of 35kph in the north-eastern part of Vietnam’s Truong Sa archipelago.

It will cause rough seas and bring heavy rains to central coastal provinces from Thua Thien-Hue to Binh Dinh early on November 10.

In an urgent dispatch dated November 7, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked coastal provinces and cities to take prompt action to minimise possible damage the typhoon could cause, including calling in offshore vessels before 7pm on November 9.

Central coastal provinces from Thanh Hoa to Binh Dinh were required to monitor vessels operating along the coastline and around estuaries. Fishing boats will be banned from going offshore as of November 10.

The PM also asked the localities to evacuate people from high-risk areas to safe grounds, help reinforce public works, and stockpile necessities in case of emergency.

Thousands of people commuting to jobs in inner HCM City from Thu Duc District are stuck on flooded Kha Van Can Street yesterday.

The Ministry of Transport is also preparing emergency vehicles to tackle any problems on key roads and instruct people where to go in areas hit by the storm.

High tides

Heavy rains and high tides caused severe floods on many major roads in HCM City, resulting in traffic jams during rush hour yesterday morning.

Streets along Tan Hoa- Lo Gom Canal are affected the most by tides, including Hoa Binh Street where the water level reached one metre.

Lac Long Quan and Tan Hoa streets in District 11, and Chu Van An, Dinh Bo Linh and Bui Dinh Tuy streets in Binh Thanh District were flooded. Huynh Tan Phat Street in District 7 was also affected.

At the Cay Go Roundabout in District 6, vehicles were unable to move for hours due to severe traffic congestion.

Thousands of people commuting to their jobs in inner HCM City from Thu Duc District were stuck on flooded Kha Van Can Street.

Meanwhile, flood waters from the Huong and Bo rivers in central Thua Thien Hue Province have inundated lowland areas in Quang Dien and Huong Tra districts.

This follows rainfall of 150-300mm on Wednesday.

Forecasters said heavy rain was still lifting river water levels. Families in danger areas have been warned of the potential risks.

Source: VOV/VNS