This afternoon, storm number 3 made landfall.

Today, July 22, the eye of storm No. 3 (Wipha) will make landfall in our country. While the storm was still in the Gulf of Tonkin on July 21, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong were experiencing heavy rain and strong winds.

Rain over 600mm

On the evening of July 21, storm No. 3 caused strong winds in a wide area in the Gulf of Tonkin. Bach Long Vi Special Zone had strong winds of level 8, gusting to level 9, while Co To and Cat Hai had winds of level 6, gusting to level 7. At this time, the storm center was at about 20.9 degrees North latitude and 108.7 degrees East longitude, right on the sea east of the Gulf of Tonkin, about 100km from Quang Ninh, 220km from Hai Phong , 240km from Hung Yen and 270km from Ninh Binh. The wind intensity at the storm center reached level 9 to 10, gusting to level 12. The main direction of movement was West Southwest, with a speed of about 15km/hour.

Soldiers of Naval Region 1 help Quang Ninh residents tie down their houses to protect them from the storm. Photo: THU BAU

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting of Vietnam as well as international meteorological stations forecast that around noon on July 22, the eye of the storm will make landfall in Vietnam (the focus of strong winds is on the northern coast). The coastal provinces of the North and North Central, especially Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa are in the eye of the storm and the circulation of storm No. 3. Heavy rain will last until the end of July 23. The entire Northeast, the Northern Delta, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An will receive rainfall from 200 to 350mm, in some places over 600mm. The remaining provinces in the North and Ha Tinh have places with rain exceeding 300mm. In some places, in just 3 hours, it can rain up to 150mm, easily causing flash floods at midnight.

On the afternoon of July 21, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Binh, National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said that Storm No. 3 will not only cause heavy rain when it makes landfall, but will also form a tropical convergence zone that will cause rain to last for many days afterward. The northern mountainous provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An are warned to be at high risk of flash floods and landslides, even after the storm has passed. Ms. Nguyen Thanh Binh warned: "Landslides can occur even when the weather has cleared, because the soil and rocks have been soaked with water for a long time."

Many places evacuated people, banned from going to sea

On the afternoon of July 21, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspected storm prevention work at Ngoc Hai fishing port, Do Son ward (Hai Phong city). According to Do Son ward's report, 100% of vehicles in the area have been brought to safe shelters. The total number of tourists staying at hotels and motels is 1,335, including 55 foreign guests.

Hai Phong City People's Committee said that more than 6,600 households with over 19,700 people are living in areas at risk of landslides, needing to be monitored and responded to when the storm makes landfall. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha directed Hai Phong City to race against time, urgently evacuate people in dangerous areas, especially coastal areas, areas at risk of landslides, weak houses, old apartments...

In Hai Phong, on the afternoon of July 21, Mr. Bui Xuan Hai, Deputy Director of the Department of Construction of Hai Phong City, said that the unit has requested the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones to speed up inspections of the situation at ferry terminals. The People's Committee of Cat Hai Special Zone has banned operations at Gia Luan ferry terminal (ferry terminal connecting Tuan Chau Island with Cat Hai Special Zone). The Department of Construction of Hai Phong City also directed management units to ban ferry operations at: An Thanh commune, Lai Xuan ferry (crossing Da Bach river in Viet Khe commune), Duong Ao ferry (crossing Van Uc river in Kien Hung commune and Hung Thang commune), Dong Bai - Cai Vieng ferry (in Cat Hai Special Zone). In the inner city of Hai Phong City, special bridges such as Hoang Van Thu, Dinh Vu - Cat Hai, Kien, Binh bridges must ban vehicles and pedestrians when there is strong wind.

The Hai Phong City Military Command and Police mobilized more than 35,400 people to support people in responding to the storm. Hai Phong City leaders established an urgent Zalo group including all 114 chairmen of the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones and leaders of departments and branches to participate in direct and continuous direction and management.

Border guards in Co To Special Zone (Quang Ninh) help people on rafts move safely to shore. Photo: THU BAU

In Quang Ninh province, Co To Special Zone was identified as one of the locations in the eye of the storm. The authorities of Co To Special Zone have notified 100% of accommodation facilities so that tourists can proactively leave the island. By July 21, the special zone had organized 44 boat trips, bringing more than 8,800 tourists safely to shore. Everywhere is gearing up to fight the storm: people are cleaning up shops, moving water play equipment ashore, dismantling signs, and reinforcing structures to minimize damage when the storm makes landfall...

Faced with the complicated developments of storm No. 3, on July 21, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment sent an urgent dispatch to the People's Committees of provinces and cities with vessels operating in the Gulf of Tonkin, requesting the mobilization of all forces and means to call, guide or force vessels to return to shore for safe anchorage.

The Ministry said that as of July 21, six localities had issued a ban on going to sea. Quang Ninh banned from 2 p.m., Hai Phong from 5 p.m., Hung Yen from 6 p.m. on July 20; Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces also banned from going to sea from the morning of July 21. By the afternoon of July 21, along the coastal strip from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh, there were more than 29,000 cages, nearly 4,000 watchtowers and nearly 150,000 hectares of aquaculture at risk. Local authorities have requested the relocation of all cages, cages and watchtowers to safe places from July 21.

Typhoon Wipha sweeps through China

By the evening of July 21, Typhoon Wipha had weakened after sweeping through Guangdong Province, China. The National Meteorological Administration of China forecast that rain would continue in coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Fujian until the morning of July 22. Previously, according to the Global Times, 669,162 people across Guangdong Province had been evacuated, including 12,036 from offshore areas and 657,126 from mainland areas. In Hong Kong, more than 400 flights were canceled, affecting nearly 80,000 passengers; 26 people were hospitalized, and 471 trees were downed.

KHANH HUNG

PV GROUP

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/trua-nay-bao-so-3-vao-dat-lien-post804803.html