Thai Binh (VNA)ꩲ - Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on July 27 inspected preparations for typhoon Mirinae – the first to batter Vietnam this year – along dyke sections, ports and construction works in the northern coastal province of Thai Binh.

He asked local authorities to takes measures to ensure the lives of locals and safety for their property, promptly move residents from aquaculture zones, and call on ships to find shelter. The deputy PM requested the local authorities to increase the inspection of irrigation works, and devise measures to prevent flooding, especially in cultivation areas. He also underlined the necessity for the locality to follow information relating to storms, water levels in rivers and reservoirs, while asking local authorities to promptly evacuate residents from areas prone to landslides and flash floods. According to Thai Binh’s border guard, 100 percent of the locality’s ships have been called to go ashore to avoid the typhoon. The Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Thai Binh province predicts that the storm will directly impact coastal areas of Thai Thuy and Tien Hai districts, from the afternoon of July 27. On July 26, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control and the National Committee for Search and Rescue held a teleconference to deploy resources to deal with typhoon Mirinae, during which Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat called for the serious implementation of the National Committee for Search and Rescue’s urgent order detailling measures to cope with the storm. The northern mountainous areas have already experienced heavy rains from the evening of July 26. According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, flash floods and landslides could hit all northern mountainous localities, especially Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Son La, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan and Bac Giang. Meanwhile, flooding has been forecast to occur in low-lying and urban areas of Hai Duong, Ninh Binh, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Hanoi. By 1pm on July 27, the storm was centered at about 20 degrees north latitude and 107.6 degrees east longitude, about 120km southeast of the seashore of Thai Binh and Ninh Binh provinces. In the next 3-6 hours, the storm is forecast to move west-northwest at a speed of up to 15-20km per hour, causing direct impacts on Quang Ninh province’s southern areas and northern Thanh Hoa.-VNA