LÀO CAI — Lào Cai is the first northern province to claim damages caused by strong winds and heavy rains due to typhoon Hato, after it made landfall China on Wednesday noon and kept moving north-westward.

By 5pm Wednesday, strong winds blew away the roofs of  more than 750 houses, including 128 in Lào Cai City, 103 in Sapa District, 255 in Mường Khương District, 190 in Bảo Thắng District and 59 in Văn Bàn District.

Heavy rainfall and strong winds also damaged 40ha of rice and vegetables and 37ha of corn.

The provincial People’s Committee has estimated damages at some VNĐ7 billion (US$308,000)

As soon as storm damages were reported, chairman of the People’s Committee Đặng Xuân Phong asked local agencies to cancel all meetings and focus on resolving the storm aftermaths.

People living in areas prone to flashfloods and landslides were evacuated, while those whose roofs were blown away were provided safe accommodation.

In Hà Giang Province, heavy rain from Wednesday afternoon affected the transportation of goods and products to Thanh Thủy Border Gate, said Đỗ Viết Hợp, vice head of the province’s Economic Zone Management Department.

On Thursday morning, coastal northern Quảng Ninh Province reported light showers in almost all localities in the province, with typhoon Hato not having a significant impact on the area.

Chairman of Cô Tô Island District People’s Committee Hoàng Bá Nam said on Wednesday, the island district was forecast to get heavy rainfall and strong winds of levels 7 to 10, but currently, it was experiencing light showers and winds of level 6.

All boats were banned from sailing from Cái Rồng Port to the island and vice versa from Wednesday afternoon. The boats would be allowed to resume work on Thursday afternoon if the weather improved, director of Quảng Ninh Province’s Inland Waterway Authority Lê Hồng Thắng said.

In Hà Nội, on Wednesday afternoon, strong winds uprooted a large tree on Phạm Văn Đồng Street, resulting in a traffic jam on the road leading to Mỹ Đình coach station – a major station in the city.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, typhoon Hato will become a low pressure system over the border area between Việt Nam and China on Thursday evening. Its influence may result in heavy rainfall in the northern provinces.

At a meeting of National Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Control on Thursday morning, the committee asked northern mountainous provinces to be on alert to flash flood and landslide.

Hydro power plants must update the rainfall to release water from their reservoirs if needed. — VNS