Coastal residents in Thanh Hoa Province move further inland as typhoon Mujigae approaches

Typhoon Mujigae that developed over the East Sea on Thursday had weakened to a tropical low Saturday morning as it landed in the north between the provinces of Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa.

Earlier on Friday night the storm had slowed down as it approached the waters off Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa.

Northern coastal residents from Hai Phong City to Thanh Hoa have been warned of heavy rains and rough seas that can raise sea tides higher by two to four meters. Mountainous areas have been asked to prepare for flooding and landslides.

Thousands of farmers in Hau Loc District, Thanh Hoa Province on early Friday rushed to their fields to harvest as much rice as they could before the storm hit.

Nguyen Van Ap, the district chairman, said it would not be possible to harvest a large area of rice. “Surely, strong winds and heavy rains will cause heavy damage for the farmers.”

The province’s Department of Education and Training has allowed more than 120,000 high school students in lowland areas to have days off on Friday and Saturday to help their families with the harvest.

As of late Friday, more than 100 families in the mountainous Ba Thuoc District and more than 1,000 coastal families in the nearby Ninh Binh Province had been moved away from the danger zone.

Meanwhile another tropical low off the Philippines threatens to speed up and strengthen into a storm later on Saturday, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

The tropical low is moving northwest toward the east of Luzon Island, the center said.

Source: TN, TT