Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung (standing) presides over the video-teleconference on Sakira tropical typhoon

Earlier, the Deputy PM inspected flood emergency relief in four central provinces.

Bracing for the most powerful storm

Hoang Duc Cuong, Director of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting was quoted as saying that typhoon Sarika may be one of the strongest typhoons to hit Viet Nam in recent years.  

As of 7:00 a.m. on October 16, the typhoon entered the East Sea. As of 1:00 p.m., the eye storm is 670 km east of the Paracel Archipelago with a maximum wind speeds of 135-150kph.     

The typhoon was forecast to hit sea waters from Hai Phong city to Khanh Hoa province and make heavy rainfall in Thanh Hoa province and northern delta and midland from Monday night.

Racing with time

At the meeting, leaders of the central provinces from Quang Ninh and Binh Dinh committed to taking every measures to respond to the upcoming cyclone.

So far, all vessels were asked to find safe places and fishing bans were applied.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Vice Admiral Pham Ngoc Minh who is the Vice Chairman of the National Committee for Search and Rescue reported that the Military Region No. 4 was mobilized to support central provinces to surmount food consequences and evacuate local residents to safer places.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, the Chairman of the National Committee for Search and Rescue asked central provinces to stay alert to the upcoming typhoon.

Addressing the event, Deputy PM Dung tasked the People’s Committees from Nghe An to Thua Thien Hue to implement the two PM’s public telegrams especially on finding missing people, supporting families of victims, and preventing hunger.

Relevant localities were asked to rashly repair infrastructure; ensure environmental protection; ensure safety for local residents and properties./.