Soldiers from the Gia Lai Province Military Headquarters help residents in Kbang District to rebuild houses after the Storm Molave two weeks ago. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Điệp

HÀ NỘI — A tropical depression will strengthen into a storm and directly affect the Central Highlands and the south, areas already hit by previous storms, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has warned.

In an official document sent yesterday, the committee asked authorities in the regions to closely watch weather monitor developments, inform to owners of ships working on the sea to avoid dangerous areas and actively conduct preventive measures.

Due to the tropical depression, coastal areas from the Gulf of Tonkin to Cà Mau Province could have strong winds of 75-88kph. The sea will be rough with waves about four metres high.

Provinces and cities must be ready in preparing task forces and means for rescue and closely inspect residential areas and where necessary, move people to safer ground ahead of flash floods and landslides. 

Task forces should be on duty all day in dykes, reservoirs to ensure minimal losses. 

They should also plan to prevent inundation in urban areas, and improve spreading information about the storms on multimedia so that local residents will be aware and better cooperate with local authorities to have preventive measures.

After the storms, provinces and cities must be active in overcoming the storms’ consequences to restore production and stables lives.

Lê Thành Ty, deputy director of the Quảng Trị Clean Water Corporation on Saturday told the Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper that after recent storms, so far all residents in the province have had access to clean water.

It was the company’s great efforts because storms had damaged many water supply stations.

To cope with five continuous storms in recent months, workers have taken turns to be on work all day in water supplying plants to bring clean water to residents.

In the central province of Quảng Nam, rescuers continued to search for missing victims in Trà Leng Commune, Nam Trà My District, after two halting days due to bad weather.

A severe flash flood 11 days ago in the commune destroyed 11 houses. The task force saved 33 people, however, nine residents died and 13 are still missing.

Major General Hứa Văn Tưởng, Deputy Commander of the Military Region 5, said the victims may have been swept into the Sông Tranh 2 reservoir. — VNS