By morning on 29 September, with the eye of Typhoon Ketsana still a few hours from crossing the coast, the people of Hue city, Danang and surrounding provinces

Authorities in Da Nang help people evacuate from storm-affected Lien Chieu district (left photo) while the tropical storm Ketsana hits the central province’s mainland (right photo).

Widespread power outages and flooding were already being reported, particularly from Hue City.

On September 28, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai took control of measures to deal with Ketsana. In a decisive step, he signed an urgent dispatch forbidding fishing boats from Thanh Hoa to Quang Ngai provinces from going to sea.

However, many fishing boats are believed to be still in heavy seas near the eye of the storm, according to Le Minh Nhat, deputy director of the Flood and Storm Prevention Centre for the Central and Central Highland regions.

Air traffic into area airports was stopped on at noon on Monday, September 28.

Hai’s official dispatch has ordered authorities in central provinces to move any residents living in dangerous zones to safer areas. It also urges schools to close to ensure the safety of students.

The Deputy PM travelled to Thua Thien-Hue province yesterday to help set up a steering committee for storm mitigation.

Already Ketsana is being compared to Typhoon Xangsane, a category 15 storm that slammed into the central coast with devastating force three years ago. Considering its devastating force, loss of life was relatively low – 69 dead and some 500 injured – thanks to good warning and effective emergency measures as the storm approached.

Ketsana knocked down nearly 15,000 houses, damaged nearly 250,000 more, and sank or damaged over 500 boats. Damages in Danang City alone were estimated at over five trillion dong, or nearly $300 million.

Though the strongest impact will be felt on the central coast from Quang Tri to the north to Quang Ngai to the south, strong winds and rains will also pound the Ho Chi Minh City area as the storm, diminishing in intensity after it makes landfall, passes through toward Laos.

By late yesterday, almost 31,000 boats with 130,283 fishermen from Quang Ninh to Binh Thuan provinces had moved to safety.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News