The Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control and the National Committee for Search and Rescue has issued joint Telegraph No. 29 to coastal provinces and cities from Quang Ninh to Da Nang, the northern localities and concerned ministries and agencies to be ready for Storm Sonca, the 4^th large-scale storm to hit the East Sea this year.

The forecasted path of Storm Sonca (Credit: NCHMF)

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), a tropical depression experienced in the afternoon on July 23 intensified, becoming the 4^th storm in the East Sea so far this year.

At 7am on July 24, the centre of the storm was approximately 17.3 degrees north latitude and 111.3 degrees east longitude, about 180km to the southeast of China’s Hainan Island. The strongest wind speeds then were between 60 and 75km per hour.

In the following 24 hours, Sonca is forecast to move at 10km per hour to the west-north west.
At 7am of July 25, its centre was at 18.2 degrees north latitude and 108.9 degrees east longitude, in the sea area of the southern part of Hainan Island. It could continue sustaining wind speeds of 60-75km per hour.

The dangerous area in the next 24 hours will be from 16.5 to 20.5 degrees north and in the west of the 113th meridian east.

In the next 24-48 hours, the storm will move between west and northwest at some 15km per hour, causing landslides in the vicinity of Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh provinces and degrading into a tropical depression.

The forecasting centre said due to Sonca’s impact, heavy rainfall from 100-250mm will be experienced in the central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue as from July 25, while the Northern Delta, Hoa Binh and Son La provinces and the North Central Highlands will suffer from moderate rains of 50-150mm.

According to the above telegraph, Sonca formed in the East Sea, moving slowly and has the potential to develop complicatedly. In response to the storm, the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control - National Committee for Search and Rescue has requested coastal localities from Quang Ninh to Da Nang to regularly update information and promptly notify vessels operating at sea in the path of Sonca to move out of dangerous areas, while implementing plans to ensure the safety of people and property in coastal tourism sites, on islands and at aquaculture farms.

The North Central and Northern provinces were urged to strictly monitor flooding and timely notify local people to take proactive measures, as well as examine evacuation work in high-risk areas while ensuring forces are ready to promptly handle any situation.

The Ministry of Transport should promptly direct port authorities and transport companies to guide ships to ports and wharfs. The Ministry of Industry and Trade should direct inspection of hydropower reservoirs and flood discharge to ensure the safety of the reservoir system.

The Viet Nam Television, Radio the Voice of Viet Nam, coastal information stations and other central and local news and press agencies should regularly update information on the storm and flood situation, increasing broadcasting time on the mass media to inform people to take preventive measures.

(Source: NDO)