The Central Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Prevention and Control announced that at 1pm on September 13, the eye of storm was located at 19.4 degrees north latitude and 118.9 degrees east longitude. The storm is now forecast to move west to northwest with wind speeds of 62-74km/h.

In the next 24 hours, winds would likely reach about 20km/h and even become stronger.

On September 13 the Central Committee sent an urgent message to other steering committees for storm prevention and control and search and rescue services in Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh, asking them to prepare properly.

The authorities in these coastal provinces were urged to promptly inform the crews of fishing boats of the storm’s movements so they can avoid any dangerous areas.

They were also asked to urge local residents to harvest all their ripe rice and other farm produce.

Safety measures must also be taken at construction sites on rivers and in coastal areas.

Local authorities were told to put their search and rescue personnel on full alert to cope with emergency.