Deputy Prime Minister: Storm Matmo is extremely dangerous, a "natural disaster on top of natural disaster"

(Dan Tri) - Faced with three consecutive storms making landfall along with many types of natural disasters, Government leaders requested agencies to continue updating, making forecasts and preparing for the situation of "storm on storm, multiple natural disasters".

On the afternoon of October 3, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee, chaired a meeting on responding to storm No. 11 (storm Matmo).

Two scenarios for storm No. 11's landing, fear of "double disaster"

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the recent natural disaster situation has been very complicated. Storm No. 9 has not been overcome yet, then comes Storm No. 10, and now we are preparing to welcome Storm No. 11. This can be considered a "double disaster" phenomenon when the consequences of the previous storms have not been overcome, but the next storm has already arrived.

"Lessons from storms No. 9 and No. 10 show that storms are becoming more and more unusual, with their speed and intensity increasing rapidly, causing great difficulties in response work," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha directed to prepare the worst-case scenario to respond to storm No. 11 (Photo: Minh Khoi).

The impact range of storm No. 11 is forecasted from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh , with 11 provinces and cities at risk of being affected. However, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that the danger is not only in the eye of the storm, but also in areas outside the eye of the storm, where heavy rain, tornadoes, landslides, flash floods, and landslides are likely to occur.

Mr. Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, presented two scenarios for the landing of storm No. 11.

In the first scenario (with a probability of about 70-75%), the storm will move northward, over mainland China more (similar to the path of storm No. 9). Therefore, when reaching the northern area of ​​Quang Ninh province, it will weaken by 2-4 levels compared to the time when the storm is at its strongest.

The second scenario is more extreme (probability about 25-30%), the storm moves south, mainly over the sea, so it weakens less than scenario 1. Therefore, the storm intensity when entering the Quang Ninh area will be stronger than scenario 1, can cause strong winds of level 9-10 (gusts of level 12-14), the impact will expand to the south (Quang Ninh - Ninh Binh). The rain will also be heavier, the strong wind zone will also be deeper inland.

The storm is expected to enter the Gulf of Tonkin around the evening of October 5. By the early morning of October 6, the storm will make landfall in Quang Ninh province.

From the night of October 5 to the end of the night of October 7, in the Northern region, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, there will be heavy to very heavy rain with common rainfall of 100-200mm, locally over 300mm; in the mountainous and midland areas of the North, common rainfall will be 150-250mm, locally over 400mm.

Mr. Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, presented two scenarios for the landing of storm No. 11 (Photo: Minh Khoi).

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said heavy rain is forecast to start from the evening of October 6, with the heaviest rain at night and early morning of October 7. The rain will be concentrated in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, and Ha Giang.

Storm No. 11 is also likely to cause a new flood from October 6 to 9, with flood peaks from alert level 2 to alert level 3, especially dangerous in the Northeast region including the provinces of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen, and Bac Kan.

In addition to strong winds and heavy rains, according to the Deputy Minister, the most worrying problem now is the dike system and the risk of urban flooding.

Prepare for the situation of "storm on storm, multiple natural disasters"

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that storm No. 11 is extremely dangerous, a "natural disaster on top of natural disaster". Localities need to clearly understand the extremely complicated nature of the situation to take timely measures and not be subjective.

Faced with the situation of three consecutive storms making landfall along with many types of natural disasters (storms, floods, inundation, flash floods, landslides, even dike breaks and cross-border flood discharge impacts from upstream China...), the Government leader requested forecasting agencies to continue updating, combining international forecasts with practical experience, preparing for the situation of "storm on storm, multiple natural disasters".

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for Civil Defense, chaired a meeting on responding to storm No. 11 (Photo: Minh Khoi).

Because after storm No. 10, many river and sea dikes are still weak, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that within two days before the storm makes landfall, localities must mobilize forces to handle the situation immediately.

The Deputy Prime Minister assessed that the Northern midland mountainous region is an especially dangerous area, with many places having not yet fully recovered from the damage, search and rescue operations still underway, and now facing heavy rain.

Therefore, the hydrometeorological agency needs to accurately delineate the heavy rain area and calculate the amount of water flowing from upstream.

Local authorities, police and military must resolutely enforce evacuation in case people do not comply, and at the same time ensure the safety of property and boats so that people can feel secure.

Regarding the safety of dams, hydroelectric power plants, and irrigation, the Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to be responsible for regulating, controlling, and deciding when to release and cut floods, to prevent "floods from overlapping floods and serious flooding in urban areas".

Regarding the development of response procedures when storms and floods occur, "natural disasters on top of natural disasters", the Deputy Prime Minister said that it is necessary to issue standard procedures and regulations to respond, change management methods "cannot hold general meetings when the storm has arrived".

Localities expected to be affected by storm No. 11 attend an online meeting (Photo: Minh Khoi).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has issued a framework for classifying natural disaster levels, and must approach response based on that level to mobilize and arrange forces.

"Scenarios, plans, processes, and regulations are mandatory requirements that must be formalized and made into legal documents for implementation. Each locality and each sector must have a specific plan; each locality must have a person with full command authority," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Government leaders believe that the worst-case scenario must be used for forecasting because the higher the forecast, the higher the vigilance, the more comprehensive and synchronous the preparation, the less damage.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/pho-thu-tuong-bao-matmo-het-suc-nguy-hiem-la-thien-tai-chong-thien-tai-20251003221732764.htm