Before the forecast of storm No. 9 with the risk of direct impact, farmers in the suburbs of Hanoi are more urgent: some build frames, stretch nets to cover, some dredge, clear ditches. Each person has a job, all share the goal of protecting the vegetable garden and rice fields before the rain and wind hit.
Mr. Nguyen Van Be - a vegetable grower in Thuong Cat ward (Hanoi) - said: "In the past few days, my family has focused all our human resources on clearing ditches. This vegetable area is considered to be white if it is waterlogged. Opening canals is a way to preserve crops, and also to keep rice cookers for the whole family.
According to Mr. Be, in parallel with dredging ditches, he has urgently installed nets to cover the fields. "The bamboo stakes and iron stakes are firmly planted into the ground, then the black luoi is stretched, fixed with steel or nylon wires. This power grid system has the effect of reducing wind power, limiting direct rainfall on vegetables, and at the same time protecting crops from falling, said Mr. Be.
According to Mr. Be, the harvest work was already hard, now that the news of the storm has come, he is even more worried. If the ditches are not covered and cleared in time, just a heavy rain can damage all the vegetables, which is considered a total loss.
Mr. Be's story is also the common sentiment of many farming households in the suburbs. For them, every vegetable garden and rice plant is a "fishing rod" for the whole family, so no matter how tired they are, they have to try their best to protect it.
In Vinh Thanh commune (Hanoi), Mr. Thang - a rice farmer - shared: "Currently, the rice is in the ripening stage and is ready for harvest. Before forecasting that storm No. 9 was at risk of affecting, I proactively took less water to cook the rice quickly, while limiting falls when encountering storms. In addition, I also dredged canals and prepared field pumps to promptly handle if flooding occurred. The whole rice crop is waiting at this time, we cannot delay.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 4:00 p.m. on September 24, the center of storm No. 9 was at about 21.6 degrees North latitude; 112.1 degrees East longitude, about 450km east of Mong Cai (Quang Ninh). The strongest wind is level 13 (134 - 149km/h), gusting to level 16. It is forecasted that in the next 3 hours, the storm will move westward, at a speed of about 20km/h.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that on the night of September 26, in the Northern region, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, there will be moderate rain, heavy rain, locally very heavy rain with common rainfall of 20-50mm, locally over 100mm. Heavy rain in the North, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An is likely to last until the end of the night of September 26, with total rainfall from the night of September 24 to the end of the night of September 26, generally 150-300mm, locally over 450mm. Heavy rain forecast is likely to cause flooding in low-lying areas, urban and industrial areas; flash floods on small rivers and streams, landslides on steep slopes (real-time warning information on areas at risk of flash floods and landslides is provided online on the website of the Department of Hydrometeorology at: https://luquetsatlo.nchmf.gov.vn and in a separate bulletin warning of flash floods and landslides). During thunderstorms, there is a possibility of tornadoes, lightning, hail and strong gusts of wind.
