Typhoon Gaemi, currently located in the East Sea, is forecast to land in the central region of Vietnam, between Da Nang and Quang Ngai, on Saturday, said the Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center. At 7 pm yesterday, September 3, the storm was located 630 km south-southeast of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, with winds of 89-102 kph and gusts of 103-132 kph. It was moving at 3-5 kph. Beginning this morning the storm will strengthen and pick up speed, up to 10 kph, in the same direction, toward Vietnam’s central provinces. This afternoon, the typhoon may reach a speed of 15-20 kph. If its direction remains unchanged, the storm will hit the region between Da Nang and Quang Ngai on Saturday, October 6, said Bui Minh Tang, director of the center. The storm may strike the region sometime between noon and evening, Tang said. However, there is also the chance the storm will stray slightly and land in other provinces in the region, such as Quang Tri, Thua-Thien-Hue, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen. From tomorrow afternoon, rough seas along with violent winds will be seen in the sea off Central Vietnam. The typhoon will bring heavy rains to the Central and Southern regions and the Central Highlands provinces, with an average rainfall of 100 mm. In the region between Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, the rainfall will be much higher, at 200-300 mm, Tang said. By 4 pm yesterday, authorities had informed more than 48,000 boats with more than 238,000 people at sea about the typhoon’s developments so that they could take safety measures in time, said the National Committee for Search and Rescue. Of these boats, nine with 114 fishermen on board were operating in the sea of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, and 319 boats with 4,477 people were fishing near the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago, the committee said. At yesterday’s meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Floods and Storm Prevention and Control, Deputy Prime Minister Phan Trung Hai urged all authorities of provinces that may be affected by the typhoon work out effective plans to cope with the storm and subsequent flooding. “Floods caused by heavy rains in the past several days in north central coastal provinces have killed 17 people. Therefore, all local authorities must take strict action to minimize damage to life,” Hai said.