Flares will be shot on the night of November 9 in Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces to warn boats at sea of the 12th storm to strike Vietnam this year.

The national weather agency is expecting hundreds of millimetres of rain to fall in provinces from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa over the next several days and floodwaters will also rise from rivers across the region.

The meeting of the national disaster management agency to prepare for tropical storm Etau.

As of 1pm on November 9, Etau is about 290 kilometres east of the Binh Dinh-Ninh Thuan coast, with sustained winds of 60-90 kilometres per hour.

It is moving west at a speed of 15-20 kilometres per hour and is expected to slam into Vietnam’s central coast on November 10 and then weaken to a tropical depression.

According to Senior Colonel Nguyen Dinh Hung of the Border Guard Command, nearly 60,000 vessels at sea have been notified of the storm and have been guided to navigate away from the danger zone.

Tran Quang Hoai, deputy head of Vietnam’s national disaster prevention agency, said Vietnam needs to be prepared for not only Etau, but also a series of natural disasters, adding that after Etau there will be a 13th storm with an even stronger level of force.

He urged local authorities to take measures to ensure the safety of residents, tourists and property on the islands and coastal areas within Etau’s path and stand ready to deal with any emergencies, while calling for the evacuation of people from areas prone to flooding and landslides.