HCMC – At the National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control’s meeting held on October 26, to discuss measures to prepare for the powerful storm, Molave, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked the ministries and local authorities to stop non-essential meetings, mobilize resources and urge localities to take action to mitigate the impact of the storm.
Vietnam, especially the central region, is facing overlapping storms and flooding. The upcoming storm Molave is forecast to pack strong winds at level 12, which could cause severe damage to the areas it passes through. Therefore, the leader of the Government stressed that ministries and local authorities must remain on high alert.
The prime minister ordered the competent agencies and local authorities to continue to make drastic moves in search and rescue operations as well as to provide prompt and effective support to the five central provinces hit by flooding.
In addition, local authorities must find ways to bring fishermen and their boats back to shore before the storm makes landfall, evacuate residents from landslide-prone areas as heavy rains, flooding and mountainous landslides could occur during the storm, he added.
Tran Quang Hoai, head of the Directorate for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said at the meeting that if Molave makes landfall packing strong winds at level 12, authorities will have to evacuate more than 1.2 million residents.
Hoai added that 45,000 of the 65,000 fishing boats operating in high-risk areas have been notified of the storm. Competent agencies must urge the remaining boats to find shelter.
