Flood in Ha Tinh City.

Hydro-meteorologists forecast that tropical storm Mekkhala would enter the central provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh this afternoon (September 30), but it actually hit this area this morning.

In Ha Tinh province, heavy rains last night and early this morning flooded many roads in Ha Tinh city. Wind was measured at level eight this morning in Ha Tinh city and over eight in Ky Anh district. Students went to school this morning but were released early due to the storm.

As the forecast was inaccurate, many families werent prepared for the storm. Many boats did not make it back to shore before the storm hit. Two fishing boats were reported sunk.

In Quang Tri province, as of 9am, September 30, due to Mekkhala, five fishermen were reported missing while many fishing boats had drifted to sea. Heavy rain was recorded in the province last night and this morning, from 8-150mm.

In a meeting of the National Steering Board for Flood and Storm Control this morning, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked the National Searching and Rescue Committee to combine with other forces and local authorities to continue searching for and saving boats. The Deputy Prime Minister also instructed Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces to evacuate people from flood-prone areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development this morning sent some working groups to Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh to assist local authorities in preventing floods and storms.