Vietnam orders evacuation along northern coastlines ahead of typhoon Rammasun Heavy rain lashes northern Hai Phong City on July 17, 2014. Tuoi Tre A ferry carries passengers under heavy rain in northern Hai Phong City on July 17, 2014. Tuoi Tre Authorities in Vietnam on Thursday ordered the evacuation of people from parts of its northern coastlines in preparation for the powerful typhoon Rammasun which is predicted to hit some northern localities on July 19. At a teleconference today, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai directed the leaders of provinces from Quang Ninh to Thanh Hoa to implement all necessary measures to prepare for the upcoming storm. The deputy premier also asked competent authorities to evacuate people living in risky areas along the shoreline before 4:00 pm on July 18 in view of the advancement of the storm. Foreign visitors in these areas should be informed of the upcoming typhoon, Hai ordered, warning that the tropical storm is very strong and dangerous. The authorities concerned are also required to call on 17 fishing boats operating in waters off Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago to go ashore and 18 other boats operating in the East Vietnam Sea to find shelter to avoid the storm.   Strong winds, heavy rain lash Hai Phong Lashing rain and strong winds have struck northern Vietnam as the typhoon is approaching the region. On Thursday afternoon, heavy rain accompanied by strong winds hit the northern city of Hai Phong, inundating many streets. Hai Phong authorities had to finish a People’s Council meeting about half a day ahead of schedule to concentrate efforts on taking measures to prevent typhoon Rammasun. Dykes along the coastal areas in the city will also be reinforced ahead of the storm. “The typhoon is expected to make landfall in Hai Phong so all competent agencies in the city have been directed to coordinate to deal with the storm. If civilian deaths are recorded in a locality, the leaders of that locality will be to blame,” said Duong Anh Dien, chairman of the Hai Phong People’s Committee. Dien added that the city government has required the authorities of coastal districts to plan the evacuation of local residents. Accordingly, locals will be banned from going out to sea and be evacuated to safer places to avoid the coming typhoon. All fishing boats operating off Hai Phong City have been all informed of the typhoon, Dien said. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat, who is head of the Central Steering Board for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, has asked local authorities in northern localities to request that all ships at sea go ashore as soon as possible. Rammasun to hit northern Vietnam on July 19 The super typhoon entered the East Vietnam Sea yesterday afternoon after it hit the Philippines, forcing an evacuation of 370,000 people and leaving at least 27 dead, the Vietnam National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center said. “It is forecast that the super typhoon will strike the Quang Ninh-Hai Phong area some time between the morning and afternoon of Saturday [July 19],” said Hoang Duc Cuong, director of the Vietnam National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center. At 7:00 am this morning (Vietnam time), the storm was centered about 390 km east-southeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, packing sustained winds of 118-149 kph and gusts of up to 201 kph. The storm is moving west-northwest and northwest at a speed of 20-25 kph and is forecast to be seen 200 km north off Hoang Sa at 7:00 am on Friday, with maximum winds of 166 kph and squalls of 202-220 kph. The typhoon will move in the same direction but with a lower speed of about 20 kph, heading for the Gulf of Tonkin. At 7:00 am on Saturday, July 19, the storm will be centered off the coastal area from northern Quang Ninh to Thai Binh Provinces, packing maximum winds of 133 kph in the storm’s eye, along with gusts of 150-183 kph. Due to the storm, the north and central area of the East Vietnam Sea is experiencing rough waters and winds of 75-117 km, which will increase to 149 kph in areas near the storm’s eye, together with gusts of up to 201 kph. The waters of Hoang Sa are also rough, experiencing maximum winds of 166 kph and squalls of up to 201 kph. Sea waves there have been recorded to be as high as 5-6 meters. Tuoi Tre News