Hanoi (VNA)⛦ – The Prime Minister on August 1 ordered ministries, agencies and localities to actively make preparations to cope with typhoon Nida, which entered the East Sea the previous night.

Nida, the second storm to hit the East Sea this year, is forecast to be moving towards Hong Kong’s shore with packed wind speeding up to 120 km per hour, and make landfall in China’s south. However, there is possibility of it heading for Vietnam’s northern area and causing torrential rain from the night of August 2, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting. Therefore, the PM requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to direct the centre to keep a close watch on the storm’s development, and provide forecasts for relevant agencies and media agencies. The Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Television, Radio the Voice of Vietnam, and media agencies were asked to increase the frequency of broadcasting information about forecasts, warnings and response instructions. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was required to maintain regular contact with ships operating at sea, provide them information on the storm, and instruct them to escape from or not to enter dangerous areas. The ministry should direct localities to take measures to ensure safety for dykes, dams and other irrigational systems, the PM noted. The PM requested the National Committee on Search and Rescue and the Defence Ministry to stay ready to help localities in search and rescue missions and evacuation if needed. He also urged the provincial and municipal People’s Committees to keep a close watch on the storm’s course to update locals on its move so that they can carry out appropriate preventive measures. The first storm of this year, Mirinae, killed three people in Hanoi, Ha Giang and Ha Nam, and injured 21 others in Hanoi, Thai Nguyen, Hoa Binh, Nam Dinh, and Thai Binh. It blew off the roofs of more than 24,700 houses, and uprooted over 44,000 trees in the northern provinces, reported the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on July 30.-VNA