Racing against time, responding to super typhoon No. 9

On the afternoon of September 23, in Hanoi, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting of the National Civil Defense Command and leaders of the northern coastal provinces (from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh) on plans to respond to super typhoon Ragasa (typhoon No. 9), which will directly affect our country on September 24 and 25.

Ninh Binh Provincial Police prepare equipment and materials to prevent and respond to storm No. 9.

On September 22, storm Ragasa intensified into a super typhoon, with a maximum intensity of level 17, gusting above level 17, and moved into the East Sea on the morning of September 23. According to the assessment of meteorological agencies around the world , up to now, storm Ragasa is the strongest super typhoon in the world in 2025.

Heavy rain is forecast to occur over a wide area in the North.

Giving a quick report on the developments and forecast of storm No. 9, Mr. Hoang Duc Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) said that the storm's speed of movement is very fast, about 20-25km/hour. On September 25, the storm is forecast to reach Leizhou (China), starting to affect the Gulf of Tonkin. Currently, the storm has decreased to level 16 and continues to weaken to level 12 when approaching the coast of Guangdong (China). On land, it is forecasted that on the morning of September 25, coastal areas from Quang Ninh to Thanh Hoa will have winds gradually increasing to level 6-7, then increasing to level 8, areas near the center of the storm will have level 9-10, gusting to level 12.

Due to the storm rapidly weakening, the entire Northern region will experience heavy rain, commonly around 100-250mm, in some places over 400mm, which can cause flooding in urban areas, landslides in mountainous areas, affecting reservoirs in the northern mountainous areas, etc. It is expected that on September 27, a tropical depression will appear, which can become storm No. 10, entering the East Sea.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep, although the storm weakened when it made landfall, the wind at sea was still very strong. Localities need to set the highest warning level, limit boats going out to sea, especially long-term fishing boats. Aquaculture activities on an area of ​​160,000 hectares of the entire sea surface need to be protected; people should prune and harvest early to reduce damage. Localities, especially Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, need to continue reinforcing houses, trimming trees, and bracing structures; absolutely ensure the safety of tourists, not letting them stay on boats when the weather is bad.

Currently, many reservoirs in the North are storing water at the end of the season, the water level is high, so localities need to closely monitor to operate the reservoirs safely. The North currently has about 850,000 hectares of rice, of which 200,000 hectares can be harvested immediately, localities must harvest this area early to reduce damage; the remaining rice area needs timely drainage solutions.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha noted that localities only have September 24 and the morning of September 25 to respond before the storm makes landfall. They need to quickly harvest rice, crops, and aquatic products that are ready to be exploited to reduce damage and ensure absolute safety for fishermen.

Ensuring the safety of reservoirs, especially hydroelectric reservoirs, must be a top priority. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment must closely coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to unify operating procedures, control water levels, make accurate forecasts and have timely solutions.

On September 23, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued Official Dispatch No. 171/CD-TTg, directing to focus on implementing response work for super typhoon Ragasa (typhoon No. 9). Accordingly, the Prime Minister requested relevant ministries, branches and localities to continue to seriously and resolutely implement the Prime Minister's direction in Official Dispatch No. 170/CD-TTg; at the same time, deploy measures to respond to typhoon No. 9 according to their functions, tasks and authority with a spirit of determination, proactive response at the highest level, anticipating the worst scenario, not being passive or surprised, putting the goal of ensuring people's safety above all. Ministries, branches and localities need to be ready to organize evacuation and relocation of residents to ensure safety before the typhoon makes landfall; ensure safety for ships operating at sea and along the coast; Protect houses, warehouses, factories, headquarters of agencies, units, educational and medical facilities, dike systems, dams, infrastructure works, production and business activities, especially agricultural production, aquaculture and fishing. Along with that, coordinate and direct the safe and effective operation of reservoirs, avoiding the risk of unsafe dams. Pay special attention to ensuring safety for transportation and tourism activities at sea and coastal areas; safety of road, sea, waterway, rail and air traffic; safety of oil and gas activities at sea; safety of hydroelectric dams, power transmission systems, telecommunications systems, etc.

“The response principle is that no storm is mild, because each storm is accompanied by many abnormal factors, affecting before, during and after making landfall. All levels of sectors and localities continue to thoroughly implement the motto of prevention first, proactivity first, discipline and order first. From the central to local levels, we must keep information flowing, update continuously, and promptly handle situations that arise,” Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized.

Put people's safety first

Quang Ninh province has urgently and synchronously deployed response solutions, aiming to absolutely prevent human losses. By the end of the afternoon of September 23, more than 4,100 fishing boats and nearly 500 tourist boats had been moved to safe anchorages; 7,900 aquaculture facilities, including 800 offshore facilities, were reinforced and workers were relocated ashore. More than 3,000 officers and soldiers along with hundreds of vehicles are always ready for rescue missions.

On the afternoon of September 22, villages and areas in the Co To Special Zone basically completed tying down houses and structures, and brought boats to safe anchorages. Cage and snail farm owners urgently relocated, absolutely not staying on cages and rafts. Party Secretary of the Special Zone Le Ngoc Han emphasized that the special zone determined that preventing storm No. 9 is the task of the entire political system; thoroughly completing storm prevention measures and tying boats on September 23. At Tran Island, the border guard station sent 2 working groups (16 officers and soldiers) to the area to support people in tying up 5 aquaculture cages; and guided 16 vehicles with 37 fishermen to safe shelters.

Thanh Lan Border Guard Station has called on 191 vessels, boats, and rafts to take shelter from the storm. In Hai Phong, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Van Quan affirmed that the forces are ready to respond to the storm at the highest level, anticipating the worst-case scenario to ensure absolute safety for people's lives, limit property damage, and avoid being passive or surprised when the super storm makes landfall.

The city has notified more than 1,600 vehicles with nearly 4,500 workers, 271 cages and 233 workers to move to a safe place. The agricultural sector has also reviewed the nearly 800km long dike system, including 75 key points, with plans to ensure safety, and flood drainage and prevention are always in a state of readiness.

Chairman of the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee Pham Quang Ngoc said that the province has requested coastal communes to mobilize the entire political system to respond to the super storm. Functional units organize 24/24 hours on duty; proactively take measures to protect dykes, irrigation dams and agricultural production; maintain emergency operations, and be ready to provide normal medical examination and treatment to people immediately after storms, floods, etc.

Currently, more than 300 fishing vessels with nearly 1,800 workers operating in Thanh Hoa waters have reached the shore; nearly 50 vessels with more than 400 workers operating in distant fishing grounds have also been notified and instructed to move safely. According to the General Director of Song Chu Khuong Ba Luan Company, the company is managing and exploiting 78 reservoirs. The unit has dredged trash, cleared the flow on Nha Le River, proactively drained buffer water, maintained pumping stations, and is ready to pump and drain water.

On September 23, Nghe An people took advantage of the storm not yet making landfall to urgently go to the fields to harvest agricultural products and reinforce storm-proof structures. People in Vinh Phu ward went together to collect duckweed and dredge canals to prevent local flooding... Hai Chau commune checked and was ready to evacuate people from unsafe houses at risk of being deeply flooded. In coastal shrimp farming areas, the work of reinforcing and bracing ponds and net houses was urgently deployed. The Provincial Civil Defense Command came up with proactive plans to respond and handle situations as quickly as possible, avoiding being passive or surprised in order to ensure safety of life and minimize property damage for people.

GROUP OF REPORTERS

Source: https://nhandan.vn/chay-dua-thoi-gian-ung-pho-sieu-bao-so-9-post910061.html