Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha: Prepare a comprehensive and synchronous plan to respond to 'storm on storm'

On the afternoon of October 3, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for Civil Defense, chaired a direct meeting, combined with online meetings with members of the Steering Committee and leaders of the People's Committees of provinces and cities to deploy responses to storm No. 11 (storm Matmo).

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha speaks at the meeting. Photo: Van Diep/VNA

High alert, comprehensive storm preparation

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized: Storm No. 11 is extremely dangerous, a "natural disaster on top of natural disaster". Lessons from storms No. 9 and No. 10 show that storms are increasingly unusual, with their speed and intensity increasing rapidly, causing great difficulties for response work. Localities need to clearly understand the particularly complex nature of the situation in order to take timely measures and not be subjective.

Faced with the situation of three consecutive storms making landfall, accompanied by many types of natural disasters, forecasting agencies need to continue updating, combining international forecasts with practical experience, preparing for the situation of "storm on storm, multiple natural disasters".

After storm No. 10, many river and sea dikes are still weak. The Deputy Prime Minister requested that in the two days before the storm makes landfall, localities must mobilize forces to handle the situation immediately. The mountainous midland region of the North is an especially dangerous area because many places have not yet fully recovered from the damage, search and rescue work is still unfinished, and now it is facing heavy rain.

Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that the meteorological and hydrological agency needs to accurately delineate the heavy rain area, calculating the amount of water flowing from upstream. Localities must delineate landslide risk areas, evacuate people from vulnerable points, use solid schools as shelters, and ensure long-term food and medical supplies . Local authorities, police, and the army must resolutely enforce evacuation in case people do not comply, while ensuring the safety of property and boats so that people can feel secure.

Regarding the safety of dams, hydroelectric power plants, and irrigation, the Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to be responsible for regulating, controlling, and deciding the timing of flood discharge and flood cutting, to prevent "floods overlapping floods and serious urban flooding"; and proposed to increase information exchange with China on hydrology of rivers across the border, especially flood discharge data.

The Ministry of National Defense has provided additional boats and canoes to mountainous provinces to respond to flood-isolated and cut-off situations. The forces are implementing the "4 on-the-spot" principle, bringing along food, drinking water, medical supplies, fuel, and communication equipment to maintain connectivity.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Construction are reviewing all electricity, traffic and construction infrastructure to adapt to increasingly strong storms.

Particularly for Hanoi, there needs to be a scenario to prevent flooding, not filling up lakes and rivers; planning more temporary water storage spaces, including under stadiums and schools.

Regarding the development of response procedures when storms, floods, and overlapping natural disasters occur, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has issued a framework for classifying natural disaster levels and a response approach based on the level to mobilize and arrange forces; therefore, it is necessary to promulgate standards and legal documents to ensure implementation. In particular, all stages (from on-site forces; forecasting work; plans before, during and after storms; response to each specific type of natural disaster) must have plans and scenarios.

"This is a mandatory requirement that must be formalized and made into a legal document for implementation. Each locality, ministry, and sector must have a specific plan. Each locality must have a person with full authority to direct and assign tasks clearly from the beginning," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that when fighting storms, it is necessary to fight before, during and after the storm, especially with natural disasters that come with, follow or arise after the storm. For example, the flooding situation in Hanoi or large cities must also have a "4 on-site" scenario, regulating traffic, ensuring electricity infrastructure, and the operation of schools and units... to reduce damage. Forecasting agencies have specific warnings about urban flooding, clearly indicating plans and scenarios for fighting floods and damage.

"We must take the worst-case scenario to forecast. The more accurate the forecast, the higher the vigilance, the more comprehensive and synchronous the preparation, the less damage there will be," the Deputy Prime Minister requested.

Two scenarios for storm No. 11's landing

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired the meeting. Photo: Van Diep – VNA

Previously, reporting at the meeting, Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem said that it is forecasted that on the evening of October 3, the storm will enter the eastern sea area of ​​the central East Sea, becoming the 11th storm in 2025. The storm will move quickly, continue to strengthen and reach the strongest intensity of level 12, gusting to level 14-15 in the eastern area of ​​Leizhou Peninsula (China).

Presenting two scenarios for the landing of storm No. 11, Mr. Mai Van Khiem said that in the first scenario (probability of about 70-75%), the storm will move more to the North, moving more over mainland China (similar to the path of storm No. 9). Therefore, when reaching the northern region of Quang Ninh province, it will weaken by 2-4 levels compared to the time when the storm is at its strongest; strong winds in the Gulf of Tonkin will be at level 9-10, strong winds in the mainland of Quang Ninh-Hai Phong will be at level 8-9 and cause heavy rain in the North (focusing on the midlands and mountainous areas).

The second scenario is more extreme (probability of about 25-30%). The storm moves southward mainly over the sea, so it weakens less than the first scenario. Therefore, the storm's intensity when entering the Quang Ninh area will be stronger than the first scenario, possibly causing strong winds of level 9-10 (gusts of level 12-14), the impact will expand to the South (Quang Ninh - Ninh Binh); the rain will also be heavier, the strong wind zone will also be deeper inland. It is expected that around the evening of October 5, the storm will enter the Gulf of Tonkin. By the early morning of October 6, the storm will make landfall in Quang Ninh province.

From the night of October 5 to the end of the night of October 7, in the Northern region, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, there will be heavy to very heavy rain with common rainfall of 100-200 mm, locally over 300 mm; in the mountainous and midland areas of the North, common rainfall will be from 150-250 mm, locally over 400 mm. Warning of the risk of heavy rain (over 200 mm in 3 hours).

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said that heavy rain is forecast to start from the evening of October 6, with the heaviest rain at night and early morning of October 7. The rain will be concentrated in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, and Ha Giang. Bac Ninh and Hanoi will also be in the heavy rain area. By October 7, the rain will spread to northern Thanh Hoa and northern Nghe An.

Storm No. 11 is also likely to cause a new flood from October 6-9 with flood peaks from alert level 2 to alert level 3, especially dangerous in the Northeast region: Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen.

Heavy rains from upstream China are forecast to increase pressure on the entire Lo River basin. Reservoirs, especially small hydropower plants in Tuyen Quang (former Ha Giang province), must carefully calculate their operating plans to absolutely avoid unsafe incidents.

Localities need to concentrate human and material resources to urgently overcome the consequences of storm No. 10, because just a little more rain can cause serious subsidence, landslides, flash floods, and flash floods...

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep also requested localities to ensure absolute safety of construction works, especially highways; urgently call on boats and rafts to take shelter in safe places, and absolutely not let fishermen be subjective.

In addition to strong winds and heavy rains, the most worrying issues at present are the dike system and the risk of urban flooding. According to assessments, sea dikes in Ninh Binh, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh have basically stabilized after being reinforced, but the river dike system in Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and Hung Yen still has many weaknesses. Big waves and sea level rise of 3-4m can seriously threaten river mouths. Provinces need to closely follow the scenario, immediately deploy dike protection plans, ensure the safety of the dike system, and prevent and combat flooding in urban areas.

"Close coordination, reasonable division of labor"

Ministries and localities attend a meeting on responding to storm Matmo. Photo: Van Diep/VNA

Speaking online at the meeting, Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee Tran Huy Tuan said that storm No. 10 had caused particularly serious consequences in the province and so far has been basically overcome, with only 4 villages still isolated. National and provincial highways have reopened. Lao Cai has identified the top urgent task as restoring traffic, both to ensure the flow of goods and relief, and to proactively respond to storm No. 11. The province is urgently reinforcing landslide sites and installing steel cages to ensure safe travel.

Evacuation work was carried out earlier; food, medicine, and necessities were prepared on the spot, especially in areas at risk of isolation, according to the "4 on-the-spot" motto; gasoline and generators were stockpiled, and machinery, equipment, and vehicles were moved to key points for timely rescue.

Currently, Military Region 2 and the Provincial Police are maintaining thousands of officers and soldiers on duty at key locations to work with localities to overcome consequences and be ready to respond when necessary.

Emphasizing the risk of a repeat of the 2024 flood scenario, the Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee requested the Deputy Prime Minister and the Government to soon issue a document directing the owner of Thac Ba reservoir to lower the water level below 57m to ensure flood prevention capacity. The Provincial People's Committee has sent a document to the reservoir management unit, and also directed the lowering of water levels in other hydroelectric reservoirs and proactive pumping and drainage at flooded areas. However, direct direction from the Government is needed to proactively respond to the complicated flood situation.

Similarly, the leaders of Tuyen Quang province said that they have deployed forces at key points and will continue to stay put, replenish supplies and equipment to be ready to respond to floods caused by storm No. 11; review scenarios, proactively evacuate people in areas at risk of insecurity; prepare vehicles, boats, canoes, and reserve food; gather machinery and equipment at key points to promptly handle incidents.

Reporting on the deployment of forces on standby to support localities, Senior Lieutenant General Huynh Chien Thang, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, said that from September 2025 until now, many military units have remained at the base to directly participate in rescue and overcoming the consequences of storms No. 9 and No. 10, and at the same time prepare to deal with storm No. 11.

Localities need to proactively coordinate with military forces stationed in the area, through the Provincial Military Command, to review areas that are often isolated, arrange human resources, food, and communications in advance, and "coordinate closely and assign tasks reasonably" between the army and militia to maximize the effectiveness of available forces.

For coastal areas, Senior Lieutenant General Huynh Chien Thang requested localities to resolutely not let fishermen and boats go to sea after the ban was issued, "not to be subjective and go to sea too soon right after the storm makes landfall, leading to unfortunate damage".

Agreeing with this opinion, Major General Nguyen Hong Nguyen, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Ministry of Public Security, emphasized that localities must seriously learn from the cases of shipwrecks and missing fishermen in storm No. 10, and closely inspect and review, not allowing fishermen to stay on the boat.

Storm No. 11 affected the area that had just suffered severe consequences from Storm No. 10. The Ministry of Public Security decided to retain 100% of the troops that participated in responding to Storm No. 10; proposed to develop a standard procedure for responding to strong storm circulations of level 14-15, clearly defining the responsibilities and specific actions of each sector, especially in handling urban flooding, to avoid confusion like in the past.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/pho-thu-tuong-tran-hong-ha-chuan-bi-phuong-an-toan-dien-dong-bo-de-ung-pho-bao-chong-bao-20251003213711629.htm