Hanoi (VNA) - Ministries, sectors and localitiesmust remain active in responding to storm Etau and subsequent storms, TranQuang Hoai, deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural DisasterPrevention and Control, has said.

Addressing a meeting of the committee in Hanoi on November9, Hoai noted that along with Etau, the 12th storm in the East Sea this year, alow pressure system is gaining in strength and may become the 13th storm tostrike Vietnam’s central region.

He asked coastal localities to monitor Etau’s movementswhile also closely managing the operations of vessels and keeping them informedof storm developments.

It is necessary to design plans to ensure the safety oflocal people and property as well as tourists on islands and coastal areas, he said.

He urged localities to review areas at high risk of flash floods or landslides and evacuate residents to safer places, while focusingon ensuring the safe operation of reservoirs and hydropower plants.

Urban areas should have irrigation plans in place to avoidflooding, he added.

Meanwhile, Mai Van Khiem, Director ofthe National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said Etau has windsat level 7 and even level 9, or over 80 km per hour, in areas near its eye, which will cause rough seas.

He said that from the November 9 night to November 12,heavy rains of 200-400 mm will affect localities from Quang Tri to thenorthern part of Khanh Hoa province. Rainfall of some 100-200mm may be seen inQuang Binh and the southern part of Khanh Hoa, he added.

Khiem predicted that the low pressure would becomethe 13th storm to hit the East Sea late on November 11 or early on November12, and then striking the central region on November 14.

According to Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dinh Hung, deputy head of the Searchand Rescue Office under the Staff of the Border Guard High Command, as of 6 amon November 9, the border guard force had alerted and provided guidance to59,752 vessels with 289,000 crewmembers.

Central localities have prepared plans to evacuate 403,000people from at-risk areas.

The south-central province of Phu Yen shut all seaports from10 am on November 9, while Khanh Hoa did likewise at 6 pm on the sameday./.