At the meeting to respond to storm Wipha organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment this afternoon, July 18, Mr. Mai Van Khiem - Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting provided noteworthy information. That is the path and impact of Typhoon Wipha, which resembles Typhoon Yagi.
"The intensity of Typhoon Wipha may not be as strong as Typhoon Yagi, but we still need to pay attention to prevention plans for strong storms" - Mr. Khiem emphasized.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep emphasized that the natural disaster situation since the beginning of the year has been unusual. Heavy rain and landslides occurred frequently.
"We are very worried about the two-year rule, which means natural disasters for two consecutive years. Last year, we witnessed a lot of flooding due to storm No. 3 Yagi. This year is a neutral ENSO year, with rainfall forecast to be at the multi-year average, but locally heavy rain may occur. We are concerned about localized rain" - the Deputy Minister analyzed.
According to the Deputy Minister, Typhoon Wipha is about to enter the East Sea to become Typhoon No. 3, and the current forecast path is quite different. However, the general forecast is that Typhoon Wipha will affect mainland Vietnam.
"The storm is expected to make landfall around July 21. The wind may not be strong, but the rain will be widespread. There is a possibility of 2 rains, the first rain from July 21 to 23 in Bac Ha Tinh to the north. The second rain is due to another storm that will follow for about July 24 - 26" - Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said.
According to the Deputy Minister, the storm falls during the summer vacation, social activities, tourism, and entertainment increase; Regarding agriculture, some types of crops are used for production. Moreover, reservoirs in the area from northern Ha Tinh and above are at a high level due to heavy rain.
Faced with that situation, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep outlined what needs to be done to respond to the impact of the storm.
First of all, the Department of Hydrometeorology needs to increase human resources, materials, and calculations to coordinate with the international community to closely monitor 24/24, focusing on forecasting and warning about this storm.
Second is the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, which is a unit coordinating with other Departments and units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. This is a storm with no strong winds but is likely to have high rainfall, with a fairly large rain area.
"The storm is forecast to affect 18 provinces and 1,713 communes from North Ha Tinh to the North. I propose calculating the assignment in high-risk communes where there are people from the Ministry of Industry participating in directing response" - the Deputy Minister directed.
The third issue is to request the local police force to monitor the development of local leadership and direction on this storm so that they can work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to propose plans to fight the storm.
At sea, closely monitor the storm's developments; strictly manage vehicles going out to sea; notify owners of vehicles and captains of ships operating at sea of the location, direction of movement and developments of the storm to proactively avoid, escape or not move into dangerous areas. The Consular Department (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) sent a document to countries in the region requesting to create conditions for ships to take shelter and provide support in case of accidents or incidents.
In addition, it is necessary to ensure the safety of essential works and headquarters, especially works under construction, many works are under construction outdoors, and there should be a plan to ensure the safety of construction workers, machinery, and equipment; avoid accidents due to landslides and floods.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said that the direction and response work will be continuously updated after having more closely and specifically assessed the situation of storm Wipha.
