According to the Search and Rescue Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, 528,367 people, including 54,732 soldiers, 362,576 militiamen and 11,059 reservists together with 2,728 vehicles of different kinds were mobilized. Units also established on-duty teams and checked plans to respond to the storm.
In possibly-storm-hit localities of Military Region 3 (MR3), the MR3 Command directed its affiliates to ensure on-duty forces, standby forces and vehicles to ready for natural disaster relief and rescue missions at request.
Also on August 16, the MR3 Command sent two delegations to check the preparation work in key localities, asked local armed forces to team up with related forces to call upon boats and fishermen to take shelter, and assist locals in reinforcing their houses in order to reduce possible damages caused by the storm.
Meanwhile, in Thai Binh province, the provincial Military Command ordered the armed forces to be on the alert against the storm, prepare all vehicles and other materials to take storm-prevention and rescue missions. At present, all boats operating in the waters of the province have been informed of the storm and taken shelter.
The Nam Dinh Provincial Border Guard Command also deployed 20 vehicles, 350 troops to take rescue missions and assist the locals in overcoming the aftermath of the storm. It also sent three missions to check its affiliates’ storm prevention and control work, organized forces to count the number of people and vehicles operating at sea while maintaining round-the-clock on-duty forces at five stations, keeping contact with trawlers at sea, calling upon more than 2,000 boats and fishermen to safer areas.
Until 18:00 on August 16, the border guard force and storm-hit localities counted and informed 36,314 boats, 13,420 rafts, tents and sentry boxes of the storm and instructed them to take shelter. Local armed forces also evacuated 14,036 farmers and 3,301 other people to safe places.
Also on August 16, a ban on fishing operations at sea was enforced in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
Translated by Mai Huong