The direction of the storm Nock-ten. — Photo nchmf.gov.vn |
HÀ NỘI — The tropical storm Nock-ten, with wind speed up to 150km per hour, is heading to the East Sea, the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has said.
At 7am on Monday, the storm, located over the central region of the Philippines, was moving west at 20km per hour.
Nguyễn Đức Quang, deputy chief of office of National Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention and Control, on Sunday relayed an urgent message to the coastal provinces from Quảng Ninh to Ninh Thuận, ordering local administrations to monitor the storm and inform all offshore vessels so that they can anchor safely.
Local administrations have also been asked to mobilise all rescue forces to deal with emergencies, Quang said.
The forecasting centre has also warned of a cold spell in the northern and central regions starting Monday midnight. The minimum temperature will drop to 10-14 degree Celsius in mountainous and delta regions, the centre said.
There will also be torrential rains, with rainfall up to 300mm, in the central region between December 28 and January 2, because of the combination of the cold spell and weather disturbance triggered by the storm. Localities have been put on high alert for flooding, and Quang has tasked local authorities with evacuating residents who live in areas that have a high risk of floods. Officials have been asked to ensure the safety of reservoirs, he added.
The media, especially Vietnam News Agency, the Voice of Việt Nam and the Việt Nam Television, have been asked to do frequent updates of the storm, the cold spell and torrential rains so that people in the affected regions have access to the latest information. — VNS