Preparing for Typhoon Sarika

Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng chaired a teleconference on the same day with the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the National Committee for Search and Rescue, and authorities from 22 localities from the northern port city of Hai Phong to the central province of Quang Binh on preparations for the typhoon.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường, who heads the Steering Committee, said Sarika is powerful and unpredictable. If it moves as forecasted, the off-season storm will hit the northern region, he said, warning that a complex situation could develop, as the northern central region is still dealing with the consequences of torrential rains and severe flooding.

Typhoon Sarika passed Luzon Island in the Philippines and entered the East Sea on Sunday morning. At 8am, the centre of Sarika was on the western coast of Luzon Island, with the strongest winds reaching 150-165km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.