VIENTIANE, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The weather bureau of Laos has warned people living in valleys at the bottom of hills and alongside rivers to be alert to the possibility of landslides, flooding and strong winds from tropical cyclone Kompasu.
According to a report issued on Tuesday by the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology under the Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, tropical cyclone Kompasu is expected to pass over southern and central Laos in the coming days.
The department has advised provincial authorities to inform local residents of the approaching storm as soon as possible so they can prepare to move their valuables and animals to a safe place if necessary.
The storm took form on the Pacific Ocean and is expected to cross the South China Sea from Tuesday to Wednesday.
The typhoon will pass through Vietnam's central coastal areas from Thursday to Friday, then weaken to a cyclone and move across central Laos, causing moderate to heavy rain in southern and central areas.
Many parts of central and southern Laos have already suffered from floods after days of heavy rain unleashed by a tropical depression, with southern Laos' Saravan province being the hardest hit.
Champassak, Saravan, Xekong, Savannakhet, Khammuan and Attapeu provinces in southern Laos have all suffered varying degrees of flooding, and thousands of people have seen their crops and property damaged. Enditem