HANOI: Storm Molave, the ninth of this year and the fourth within a month, will make a landfall in the central region, from Thua Thien-Hue to Khanh Hoa province, with heavy rain and winds of up to 133 kilometres per hour on Tuesday night, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
As of 4 am Tuesday, the storm’s eye was some 320 km north-northeast of Song Tu Tay island, with the strongest winds reaching 135-150 km per hour and gust of up to 167-183 km per hour, Vietnam news agency (VNA) reported.
It is expected that by 4 am on Wednesday, the storm’s eye will be right over waters of the coastline from Da Nang city to Phu Yen province, with the maximum wind speed of 165 km per hour.
Torrential downpours will blanket the central localities from October 27-29. Inundation is forecast for lagoons and low-lying areas from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Ngai province.
The committee said Molave is as strong as Storm Damrey in 2017 which left 123 people dead or missing and caused damage worth 22 trillion VND ($951.45 million).
Cities and provinces in the central region have well informed local vessels of the storm’s direction, instructed them to find safe harbour, and worked to ensure safety for aquaculture activities.
Experts said locals should have plans on food and water for a couple of days, as well as keep updated with the storm’s developments. – Bernama
