The central region of Việt Nam usually bears the brunt of tropical storms that lash the country each year.
For generations, the people in this region have learnt to co-exist with the devastating floods every year, but to foretell when these disasters will occur to prevent loss of human life and minimise economic damage is the responsibility of hydro-meteorological observers, who have earned the title ‘flood watchers’.
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Amongst the 22 weather stations in Thanh Hoá, the Mường Lát hydrometeorological station is considered to have the “heaviest duty” – monitoring the slightest changes to the Mã River to tell if there flooding or landslides are imminent.
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Since 2012, the region has received state-of-the-art equipment from overseas – including 49 rain gauges from South Korea that use GPRS/GSM technology to ensure uninterrupted data transmission, three automatic ocean observatories and 11 wind stations in coastal areas in addition to one weather radar and one weather satellite system.
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Aside from new equipment, the national weather agency has also attempted to mobilise funding both from domestic and foreign sources to improve the infrastructure at important weather stations.
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