Hundreds of fishing boats in central Vietnam have hastened to find shelter and stockpile food while residents reinforce their homes ahead of Storm Conson making landfall Sunday.

Major Phan Van Ha, an official of Man Quang Border Guard Station in Da Nang’s Son Tra District, stands in the rain instructing fishing boats to take shelter at Tho Quang Lock on Saturday as Storm Conson caused heavy rains of 50 to 100 millimeters in central localities from Thua Thien-Hue to Binh Dinh.

The storm is forecast to make landfall along the central coast from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Ngai that includes Da Nang on Sunday, with a maximum wind speed of 60 kph.

Fishermen bearing supplies struggle to secure their vessel amid the beating rain.

Vo Thanh Nao’s fishing boat sunk in Man Quang Bay on the way to shore due to strong waves but luckily, two crew members onboard were rescued by another boat.

Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Khanh, head of Man Quang Border Guard Station, said about 180 fishing boats rushed to take shelter at Tho Quang Lock and other safe areas in Man Quang Bay on Saturday morning. Most are Quang Ngai-registered vessels.

Fishermen clean their nets as they return to shore. As Da Nang is still imposing strict restrictions to contain the spread of the Covid-19, fishermen will remain on their ships.

Should the storm hit shore, local officials will perform rapid Covid testing for crew members and place them in centralized quarantine.

An ambulance wades through Pham Van Dong Street in Da Nang, submerged under 0.5 meters of water.

Environmental workers clear sluice gates around Ham Nghi Lake in Da Nang to avoid massive flooding.

On Ham Nghi Street in Thanh Khe District, some families have reinforced their homes to prevent rainwater from entering.

Last year, the central region was bombarded by a series of storms and historic flooding between late September and mid-November that left at least 235 killed or missing.

Many areas across Quang Nam Province, which neighbors Da Nang, experienced heavy rain from Friday of 50 to 100 millimeters.

As the storm approached, many fishing boats in Nui Thanh district docked at Ky Ha Port. After selling their catch, they set out to seek shelter.

A fisherman in Quang Nam secures his boat to shore. Local authorities ordered all fishing vessels to take shelter and banned residents from fishing activities.

One-meter-high wave demolished an embankment supported by sand bags along 7.5 kilometer Cua Dai Beach, a famous tourist destination in Hoi An of Quang Nam.

For years, Cua Dai has suffered severe erosion, especially in the storm season that has killed a once-thriving tourism industry.