Storm Yagi likely to reach super typhoon status before making landfall in Việt Nam

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan chairs the meeting on Wednesday to discuss response plans to Storm Yagi. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Storm Yagi, the third storm of this year, is expected to continue strengthening and could potentially reach super typhoon status before making landfall. In such a case, all storm prevention and response plans will need to be revised, said Mai Văn Khiêm, Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting (NCHF).

He made this statement during a meeting on Wednesday to discuss plans for a response to Storm Yagi. Represented at the meeting were various ministries, agencies and authorities from 11 coastal cities and provinces from Quảng Ninh to Nghệ An, who attended via an online conference. The meeting was chaired by Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan.

Khiêm noted that international forecasts are in agreement with Việt Nam's assessment that Yagi is a very powerful storm.

Experts expect Storm Yagi to make landfall by Saturday evening (September 7) in coastal areas from Quảng Ninh to Ninh Bình. Currently, the storm is moving westward at a speed of 10-15kph and is forecasted to continue intensifying, reaching its peak strength at level 15 (165-185kph), with gusts up to level 17.

Waves are expected to reach heights of 9-11metres on Thursday and Friday, with the tide at Hòn Dấu station peaking at two metres on Saturday.

The NCHF has outlined two potential scenarios for the trajectory of Storm Yagi. Both scenarios predict heavy rainfall, posing a significant risk of flash floods and landslides, especially in mountainous regions, as well as urban flooding.

According to Khiêm, if Yagi intensifies to level 16 – the super typhoon status – all storm prevention and response plans will need to be revised, as the disaster risk level would rise to level 5.

The Border Guard Command reported that more than 50,130 fishing vessels with 219,864 people have been accounted for and guided, including 557 vessels with 3,356 people currently operating in risky areas in the northern East Sea and around the Hoàng Sa (Paracel) Archipelago.

These vessels have received the warning and are moving to avoid the storm.

The provinces of Quảng Ninh, Thái Bình and Nam Định plan to issue a ban on sea activities starting tomorrow.

In coastal and offshore areas from Quảng Ninh to Nghệ An, there are currently 49,380ha of aquaculture, 19,144 safety cages and 3,806 aquaculture watchtowers. There is a very high risk of damage if the storm enters the Gulf of Tonkin with a strength at level 13, gusting to level 16.

Regarding the dike system, Phạm Đức Luận, Director of the Department of Dike Management and Natural Disaster Prevention, noted that along the coastal dikes and river mouth dikes in the provinces from Quảng Ninh to Nghệ An, there are 32 critical points that require special attention.

Additionally, there are three construction projects in progress. Some dikes and embankments have already suffered damage but have not yet been repaired, such as the Thịnh Long embankment on the Hải Hậu Sea Dike in Nam Định and the Bình Minh 4 Dike in Ninh Bình, which has been completed but not yet reinforced.

"The coastal dike systems are currently designed to withstand storms at levels 9-10. There is a high risk of damage if the storm enters the Gulf of Tonkin at levels 12-13,” he said.

In terms of agricultural production, 155,000ha of the 170,000ha of summer-autumn rice crops have been harvested, with 15,000ha remaining to be harvested, which is expected to be completed before September 10.

Commenting on Storm Yagi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp stated that if the storm follows the predicted path, it will have a significant impact on the industrial and agricultural sectors in the northern provinces.

He expressed concern that the biggest threat when the storm makes landfall is the risk of flooding in mountainous provinces and urban inundation. Given the significant potential impact of Storm Yagi, he urged local authorities to proactively implement storm prevention measures and carefully manage water regulation in hydropower reservoirs, both to mitigate downstream flooding and to store water for power generation.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan urged local authorities to proactively develop storm response plans. He even suggested banning large gatherings, promoting the dissemination of safety measures and teaching skills for storm response.

For lowland and mountainous regions, Hoan recommended deploying task forces to inspect and assess residential areas near rivers, streams and low-lying regions that are at high risk of flooding, flash floods and landslides. The task forces would also proactively relocate and evacuate residents to safe areas.

He also stressed the importance of organising forces to monitor and control traffic at submerged roads and areas at risk of landslides to prohibit the passage of people and vehicles if safety cannot be guaranteed.

In case the storm intensifies further before making landfall, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will report to the Government to ensure appropriate directives and measures are in place to mitigate the risks of the storm and reduce the impact of natural disasters, he stressed.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education and Training issued an urgent directive to the provinces and cities of Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, Thái Bình, Nam Định, Hà Nam and Ninh Bình to organise the new school year's opening ceremony in a streamlined, safe manner, suitable for the local conditions.

Under no circumstances should the ceremonies be held in areas experiencing heavy rain, or where there is a risk of landslides or flooding.

Local authorities and schools are also required to develop plans for the timely relocation of assets, machinery, equipment, furniture and books to safe locations.