The army mobilized nearly 270,000 people and 10 planes to respond to the tropical depression.

On the afternoon of September 18, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep chaired a meeting with ministries, branches and online with 11 provinces and cities from Ninh Binh to Binh Dinh on responding to the tropical depression (about to strengthen into storm No. 4).

At the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep asked localities not to be subjective in responding to tropical depression.

What worries Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep is that when the tropical depression strengthens into storm No. 4, it will move slowly, so there will be many unpredictable developments.

The most worrying issue is that heavy rain may occur in Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam and part of Quang Ngai.

“We are concerned that there will be a heavy rain coming and it cannot be ruled out like in 2020. This is a problem that we are very worried about,” Mr. Hiep expressed.

To cope with the tropical depression - soon to be storm No. 4, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development requested provinces and cities affected by the storm to continue calling on all boats to enter safe anchorages; review the flood situation and evacuation plans.

Mr. Hiep emphasized that Thua Thien Hue and Da Nang are localities prone to urban flooding, so people need to move valuables to higher places to ensure safety. The government will soon have a plan to evacuate people in flooded areas to safety.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep speaks at the meeting (Photo: Nguyen Hai).

Besides, localities need to carefully check water levels at reservoirs and hydroelectric lakes, and promptly have response plans in all situations.

Mr. Hiep assessed that if heavy rain occurs, the provinces from Thua Thien Hue to Quang Ngai can easily be isolated, so localities need to properly implement plan 4 on the spot.

Colonel Pham Hai Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Search and Rescue, General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, said that the Ministry of National Defense has issued two dispatches requesting agencies and units in the entire army, especially Military Region 3, Military Region 4, Military Region 5, and Military Region 7 to prepare forces and means to participate in responding to the tropical depression that could strengthen into storm No. 4.

Specifically, the units have mobilized 268,806 officers, soldiers, and militiamen ready to participate in response.

In addition, there are more than 4,000 vehicles (including 10 helicopters) ready to participate in rescue, relief and supply when requested.

Soldiers of the 544th Engineering Battalion, Hanoi Capital Command, help clear fallen trees after Typhoon Yagi (Photo: Son Nguyen).

Colonel Hai Chau also requested that localities do a good job of checking and warning about landslide areas to soon have plans to evacuate people to safety.

Localities in the storm-affected areas need to implement the "4 on-site" plans well, especially ensuring communication when isolated.

According to the leaders of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province, by 11:30 a.m. on September 18, all local boats had reached safe anchorage. The province has also made plans to evacuate people to cope with the upcoming storm No. 4 and the risk of landslides.

On September 15, Thua Thien Hue province also issued a landslide warning to high-risk communes and districts.

For localities where heavy rain may occur, the province will make plans to evacuate people to safety as soon as possible.

"The province has come up with plans to best respond to and combat the storm," affirmed the leader of Thua Thien Hue province.

According to information from Da Nang City leaders, from 7:00 p.m. on September 17 to 11:00 a.m. on September 18, Da Nang City experienced heavy rain, very heavy rain with rainfall ranging from 100 to 150mm, in some places up to 200mm.

Da Nang City has allowed students to stay home from school from the afternoon of September 18, to prepare for the upcoming storm No. 4. At the same time, Da Nang has also reviewed key sea dykes to come up with solutions to ensure safety in case the storm makes landfall.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 1 p.m. on September 18, the tropical depression was about 136 km east of Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago and about 530 km from Da Nang.

The strongest wind near the center of the tropical depression is level 7 (50-61km/h), gusting to level 9.

It is forecasted that in the next 24 hours, the tropical depression will likely strengthen into a storm, level 8 intensity, gusting to level 10.

By the afternoon of September 19, storm No. 4 was in the coastal waters from Quang Tri to Quang Nam. The strongest wind near the storm center was level 8, gusting to level 10.

The meteorological agency said that this morning, the tropical depression is moving more slowly than on September 17.

Dantri.vn