HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health yesterday instructed departments in northern and central Việt Nam to evacuate medical facilities in areas at high risk of landslides and flash floods to ensure patient and medical staff safety as Typhoon Bebinca closes in.

Health departments in affected provinces have also been directed to stock up on medicines and supplies and have emergency teams on standby in high-risk areas.

Northern provinces are already on high-alert for the fourth typhoon of the season, and the coastal northern province of Quảng Ninh yesterday urged all ships operating in its waters to take shelter.

Đặng Huy Hậu, deputy head of the provincial People’s Committee, said fishermen were being kept posted about the typhoon’s strength and path, while authorities in Hạ Long City have been tasked with preventing mudslides.

According to the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, Quảng Ninh is among the provinces at the high risk of landslides and flash floods caused by typhoon, along with Lai Châu, Sơn La, Hoà Bình, Yên Bái, Phú Thọ, Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng.

In the northern province of Hà Nam, the Đồng Văn Industrial Zone and lowland areas have prepared drainage plans ahead of predicted prolonged rains.

The Hoà Bình and Tuyên Quang reservoirs already have their floodgates open, meaning levels in local rivers are rising. District authorities have been instructed to monitor levels, evaluate flood prevention solutions and ensure safety around dams and populated riverbank, especially those affected by the July floods.

At 7am yesterday, the eye of the storm was off the southern coast of Guangdong (China), with wind speeds hitting 65-70km/h.  

In the next 24 hours, Typhoon Bebinca is forecast to move slowly east and then change course to northeast at 5km/h.

At 7am on Wednesday, wind speeds are forecast to rise to 75-90km/h.

In the next 24 to 48 hours, the typhoon is predicted to move east at 10km/h, reaching the Tonkin Gulf about 140km from Móng Cái District in the northern mountainous province of Quảng Ninh early on Thursday.

In the next 48 to 72 hours, the storm is forecast to move southwest at 15km/h before hitting the mainland and weakening to a tropical depression. — VNS