Responding to Storm No. 13: Evacuate people from dangerous areas before 7:00 p.m. on November 6

On November 5, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for Civil Defense, chaired a live meeting, connecting online with provinces and cities on implementing response work to storm No. 13 (storm Kalmaegi).

According to the Government Electronic Newspaper, speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said that storm No. 13 is a "very unusual" storm as it formed quickly in November, moved at a speed of 25 km/h and had a high intensity. Meanwhile, many localities have not yet overcome the consequences of previous natural disasters. Irrigation and hydroelectric dams have used up their design capacity. Water levels are still high; flooding in urban and rural areas has not been resolved. In mountainous areas, landslides, flash floods and flash floods are increasingly serious.

From that assessment, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed to put the work of preventing storm No. 13 in a "more urgent and dangerous state", requiring all ministries, branches and localities to focus highly on preparation and response work.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for Civil Defense, delivered a speech at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is assigned to continue to direct forecasting work "with higher requirements and denser information", providing information in each stage: at sea, along the coast, when the storm makes landfall, circulation on land and the phenomena of rain, floods, whirlwinds, and lightning after the storm. The Deputy Prime Minister requested to compare the forecast with previous storms so that people and authorities can easily visualize the level of danger, wind speed, rainfall, and landslide potential.

Storm No. 13 is forecast to affect from 7 p.m. on November 6 to about 4 a.m. on November 7. "There is very little time left to prepare," the Deputy Prime Minister noted, requesting localities in the affected areas to urgently update and develop response plans and scenarios on November 5, continuously adjusting according to new forecast data.

Regarding the sea and aquaculture areas, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that 100% of boats be banned from going to sea, and that people absolutely must not be present at sea after 5:00 p.m. on November 6. Police and border guards must ensure safety and control people's assets.

Military Region 5 deploys troops ready to respond to storm Kalmaegi. (Photo: Government Newspaper)

The evacuation of people from dangerous areas must be completed before 7 p.m. on November 6, especially in coastal areas subject to high tides and mountainous areas at risk of landslides and isolation. Localities need to immediately coordinate with Military Region 4 and Military Region 5 to determine forces and means, "not waiting until isolation before sending in troops".

The Deputy Prime Minister requested ensuring communication, especially satellite phones, at key points and places at risk of isolation; at the same time ensuring the safety of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure.

For the reservoir system, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committees must take responsibility from now on, assessing the safety of the works, operating and regulating, reducing the water level to a safe level, creating flood-cutting capacity on November 6-8, when the forecast rainfall can be from 200 mm to over 300 mm.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked localities to promptly assess the need for support in food, medicine, and chemicals, and assigned the Ministry of Finance, Army, and Public Security to consider support now, without waiting for a situation to arise.

Rescue vehicles will be mobilized from Military Region 4, Military Region 5 and local resources to be ready to respond to floods and ensure movement in deeply flooded areas.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of National Defense to arrange a location for the National Civil Defense Steering Committee to directly work and direct response in the storm center area.

According to the report at the meeting, in Quang Tri , more than 8,600 fishing vessels have entered safe anchorage, 83 vessels operating offshore have all received information and sought shelter. The province has banned the sea since November 4, the dams are basically safe, reaching 89.5% of the design capacity, and are being regulated to a safe level. The whole province has 34 high-risk landslide points, 128 landslide points on river banks and coastlines, all people in the risk areas have been evacuated, warning signs have been posted, and forces have been deployed to block them.

The province has implemented the “4 on-site” policy, deployed forces in five key defense areas, and planned to evacuate over 3,600 households in coastal, flood and landslide areas. To date, 200 billion VND in support from the Central Government has been allocated, and the province is continuing to disburse 100 billion VND to overcome the consequences of natural disasters.

In Hue , the locality is still overcoming the consequences of the floods from October 25th until now; focusing on regulating water at Huong Dien, Binh Dien, and Ta Trach lakes, with an expected flood capacity of about 300 million m³. Currently, 18 communes are still flooded, affecting 15,156 households. In the highlands, students have returned to school; electricity and water systems have been restored, traffic is basically smooth, and rescue forces are on duty 100% to support people.

In Da Nang , there is still localized flooding, the land in the western area is waterlogged, and there is a high risk of landslides. All 81 fishing boats operating at sea have been contacted and guided to shelters, and no boats are in the danger zone. The city has evacuated people from dangerous areas and published flood maps for people to proactively take precautions. The landslide in Hoi An is considered an urgent problem, and the military has deployed temporary remedial measures.

In Quang Ngai , 6,005 ships have docked so far. It is expected that by 5:00 p.m. on November 5, the arrangement of ships in the dock will be completed, no one will be left on board, and the electrical system for fire and explosion prevention will be checked. 417 ships are being notified by the Border Guard and Coast Guard to avoid the storm. One ship with an engine failure has been safely towed. The province has developed a plan to evacuate more than 38,000 households. Telecommunications units are required to check and evaluate the safety of stations, pillars and equipment, and be ready to evacuate when unsafe, especially in densely populated areas.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/ung-pho-bao-so-13-di-doi-dan-khoi-vung-nguy-hiem-truoc-19h-ngay-0611-217431.html