South-central localities on alert as tropical storm Rai entering East Sea
VOV.VN - The National Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention and Control on December 15 asked relevant ministries and localities along the central and southern coasts to put forces on standby as a powerful storm is entering the East Sea and is likely to make landfall in coming days.
Rai was about 800km east of the Philippines on December 15 morning, packing winds of approximately 100kph, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
The storm is anticipated to intensify into a typhoon with winds gusting around 155kph near its centre when it sweeps across the Philippines on December 16 before moving into the East Sea, said Hoang Phuc Lam, deputy director of the centre.
Rai is forecast to lose its strength a bit when it moves closer to Vietnam’s coasts on December 19.
The typhoon might change its course and speed when it enters the East Sea and interacts with a cold front moving from the north, Lam added.
Tran Quang Hoai, deputy head of the National Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention and Control, requested that relevant ministries and localities along the central and southern coasts to closely monitor Rai and come up with response plans.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should issue and send a note to neighbouring countries to ask for support for Vietnamese fishermen in seeking storm shelters, he said.
Hoai also asked coastal localities to reinforce fishing cages and evacuate people from flood-prone areas to save places.