Tropical storm Wutip hits central provinces

Tropical storm Wutip caused many trees in central Quang Tri Province's Dong Ha City to collapse. Authorities across the central region have been asked to evacuate local residents from high-risk areas to ensure their safety. — VNA/VNS Photo Ho Cau.

According to the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN), sections of electricity lines connecting provinces and cities in the central region, including a 500kV power line running from Ha Tinh Province to Da Nang City, have been damaged by the storm. The incidents have caused large-scale loss of power in the central provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien – Hue.

EVN said it had ordered relevant electricity agencies to focus human resources and equipment on retrieving electricity again in the affected areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai visited the site and directed evacuation procedures and storm prevention measures in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Binh provinces.

The provinces sent 11,901 people from 3,501 families to safer areas in the coastal districts of the province.

The districts were vulnerable to flash floods, land slides, and severe flooding.

The Central and Central Highlands office of the Storm and Flood Prevention and Rescue Centre have also recalled 44,349 boats at sea from Quang Binh to Khanh Hoa to safer zones.

The provinces' authorities demanded the reserve of necessities and fuels to ensure the welfare of residents during and after the storm.

Schools were shut down to keep all students at home for safety.

Deputy PM Hai asked local authorities in Thua Thien Hue Province to have a prevention strategy for flash floods and land slides after the storm.

He ordered a ban on residents lodging on boats, aquaculture cottages, and in area prone to land slides during the storm.

During a site visit yesterday morning to Hai Duong Commune in the province's Huong Tra District, Hai appraised the storm prevention preparations of local residents.

He reminded local authorities to prepare research on the prevention of deep sea intrusion into land areas, especially where seawater has gone inland 500m far from the coast. Hai also demanded that 56 local families be relocated to other areas.

Yesterday afternoon, Hai led the National Flood and Storm Prevention and Rescue Committee heading Quang Binh, where the eye of the storm is expected to pass, a change from an earlier forecast of the storm passing through Quang Tri.

At a meeting with local authorities from Quang Binh, Hai spoke of the possibly severe effects of the storm and demanded a reinvestigation of storm prevention in all storm-prone areas in the locality. All resources have to mobilize to support residents during the storm, he ordered.

Hai also had a meeting with local authorities in Thua Thien Hue on Sunday night and set up a working team of 610 border guards and policemen and 46 vehicles for investigation and excavation at prone sites.

Under the effects of the storm, Thua Thien Hue yesterday had recorded damages and property losses from strong winds and heavy rain.

At coastal Phu Loc District, 45 houses and office buildings in Lang Co Town had their roofs blown off. Two other houses collapsed. Many trees have been uprooted.

Local authorities had to urgently evacuate 180 families from a landslide on the bank of local Bu Lu River, where a 250m long section of land fell into the water.

No casualties have been recorded yet. Thanks to a prompt evacuation Sunday night, many people have been relocated to safer areas.

In Hue City, strong winds felled many trees along the roadways.

In other coastal sections, 2-metre high waves destroyed many aquaculture cages.

In Quang Binh, local authorities moved 6,111 storm-prone families in Le Thuy, Quang Ninh, Bo Trach and Quang Trach districts to public office buildings and gave them food.

A rescue team of 450 border guards and policemen and 50 roadway and waterway vehicles had been deployed to prone areas.

Similar damages were also reported in Quang Tri yesterday morning.

Fears from reservoirs

All power reservoirs in the northern part of the central region were reported full and were in the process of emptying, which led to unexpected flooding in the lower areas.

There were 31 reservoirs walls found to be vulnerable to collapse and in need of monitoring for the possibility of breaks.

Thua Thien Hue authorities ordered reservoir managers to control their release to prevent flooding. In Quang Binh, families living near Ho Ho reservoir have been moved to ensure their safety.