Typhoon Usagi heads to south central Vietnam

Typhoon Usagi is heading to south central Vietnam (Source: nchmf.gov.vn)

At 4 am of November 23, the typhoon’s centre was at 10.9 degrees north latitude and 113.8 degrees east longitude, about 450 km east of the coast of the south central and southern provinces from Ninh Thuan to Ba Ria – Vung Tau. The storm's strongest winds were at a speed of 60 – 75 km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

In the next 24 hours, it is forecast to move west at 10 - 15 km per hour and may gain more strength. The storm with sustained wind speeds at 75 – 100 km per hour will be about 230 km east of the coast of provinces from Ninh Thuan to Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

At 4 am of November 25, the storm will continue moving west at 10 – 15 km per hour and make landfall in the area between coastal provinces in south central and east southern regions. It is then weakened to a tropical depression, the centre said.

The typhoon will cause torrential rains for south-central and south-east provinces, it added. Localities stretching from Thua Thien – Hue to Binh Thuan provinces and in the southern Central Highlands region might suffer downpour with rainfall up to 300-500mm.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong co-chaired an urgent meeting to direct the 14 provinces to prepare for the typhoon on November 22.

Speaking at the meeting, Dung pointed out major tasks the provinces needed to implement. The tasks include evacuating residents living in areas at high risks of landslides and flash floods, reinforcing houses and sea dykes, and making plans to ensure reservoirs’ safety. Additionally, rescue forces should be ready for emergencies.

Minister Cuong said the provinces have to inform offshore vessels on the storm’s developments.

Cuong asked the provinces to take all possible measures to minimise damages./.

VNA