In Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province, hundreds of soldiers and militia members assisted fishermen in securing boats, collecting fishing gear and moving equipment to safe areas. They also visited poor and elderly households to help fortify roofs and windows to reduce storm damage.
Cua Lo, located on the coast, is forecast to be hit by winds of up to level 12 on the Beaufort scale. Many hotels and restaurants mobilized staff to reinforce facilities, using scaffolding to block glass doors and awnings.
“Preparations were made early to minimize losses,” said Dam Van Thang, a hotel owner. Coastal residents tied down roof tiles, boarded windows, gathered belongings and moved fishing vessels to safe harbors.
In Ha Tinh, from the afternoon of Sept. 27, the local government of Dan Hai Commune, formerly part of Nghi Xuan District, mobilized more than 200 people with trucks, stone, sand, bamboo stakes and sacks to reinforce the coastline ahead of Bualoi. That day, 400 cubic meters of rock from Nghe An and 200 cubic meters of sand were transported to shore up around 250 meters of vulnerable coastline in Tan Ninh Chau and Thai Phong hamlets.
The work is expected to last until Sept. 28 as a temporary measure to reduce erosion when the storm makes landfall. In the long term, Ha Tinh has asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Prime Minister for funding to build permanent structures protecting the Hoi Thong dike and nearby residential areas.
Besides sandbags, many coastal residents stretched large nets over rooftops and tied them down tightly to prevent winds from ripping them off.
At schools in Thien Cam Commune, formerly part of Cam Xuyen District, which suffered heavy damage when Typhoon Kajiki struck on Aug. 25, teachers busily moved desks and chairs to safety.
Two men were seen using sandbags and bamboo stakes to secure the corrugated iron roof of a seaside restaurant in Thien Cam.
“Kajiki already tore off our roof and swept away many belongings. We had to borrow money to patch things up. Now we hear Bualoi is even stronger, so everyone is anxious and afraid of more damage,” one resident said.
On the afternoon of Sept. 27, dozens of fishermen in Thien Cam hauled in nets, secured their boats and pulled them ashore to wait out the storm.
At a storm-response meeting, Ha Tinh’s standing vice chairman Nguyen Hong Linh said that after widespread blackouts caused by Kajiki, the province had instructed agencies to ensure stable power and communications during and after Bualoi.
The 841st Regiment of the Ha Tinh Military Command sounded a full-unit alert on Sept. 27, implementing comprehensive response plans. All personnel reported to their posts, equipment and facilities were checked, and troops prepared to mobilize if needed.
In Quang Tri, resident Bui Van Doan in Dong Hoi Ward filled plastic bags with about 30 liters of water each, tied them tightly, and placed them across the roof of his 200-square-meter house. More than 30 bags were lined up along the roof to prevent it from being blown away.
Soldiers stationed on Con Co Island used cranes to haul local fishing boats ashore. Quang Tri Province banned all vessels from going out to sea from 5 p.m. yesterday until conditions are safe again.
More than 30 militia members in Vinh Hoang Commune and Regional Defense Zone 3 waded knee-deep in floodwater to help residents harvest rice. In Quang Tri, 1,169 hectares of summer-autumn rice remain unharvested, including 219 hectares in the lowlands: 12 hectares in Le Thuy, 70 in Quang Ninh, 87 in Ninh Chau, 35 in Hieu Giang, and 15 in Trieu Phong. The rest lies in upland areas.
The Quang Tri Border Guard has been mobilized to prepare for the storm, with 47 trucks, 6 ships and 29 motorboats ready for emergencies.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, Typhoon Bualoi is expected to make landfall on Sept. 28 in northern Quang Tri, Ha Tinh and southern Nghe An. To call boats ashore, on the evening of Sept. 27 the Quang Tri Border Guard Command fired flares and broadcast warning signals.
In An Cuu Ward, a low-lying area of Hue City, heavy rains caused flooding in residential neighborhoods. From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sept. 27, authorities organized evacuations to higher ground. Video by Vo Thanh
