Floods in central region kill 66

Union members clear mud and soil at a school following a flash flood in Quang Trach District in central Quang Binh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Duy Hung

HA NOI — Flash floods in Central Viet Nam have claimed up to 66 lives, left 17 people missing and injured another 75, according to the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

And more heavy rain is forecast in the next few days due to a low pressure in the north of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago.

Quang Binh Province was hardest hit. Several districts were reported to be under water, including more than 6,300ha of residential areas. About 100,000 people are said to be suffering from a lack of clean water.

The province, which is already poverty stricken, is estimated to have lost nearly VND1.4 trillion (US$71.4 million).

Local authorities in Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces have helped flood-hit residents by providing emergency health care. Their total losses were estimated to reach more than VND2.5 trillion ($127.5 million).

Tran Dinh Dung, from the Storm Prevention and Flood Control Committee of Quang Binh Province, said rescue teams had managed to supply food and clean water to victims in the submerged districts of Minh Hoa, Bo Trach and Quang Ninh.

"More food is needed then work will begin on cleaning out hundreds of wells," Dung said.

More than 1,000 soldiers and volunteers have been mobilised to repair homes, clean wells and sanitation systems in the worst affected areas in Huong Khe District in Ha Tinh Province.

During the past three days, more than VND20.8 billion ($1.07 million) has been donated to support the central region.

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Centre said a low pressure system would bring heavy rainfalls to the southern provinces. Coastal areas from central Binh Dinh to southern Kien Giang provinces would experience heavy downpours. Whirlwinds and strong wind gusts are also likely. — VNS

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Floods kill 48 in central Vietnam

At least 48 people have died, 1 8 are missing and 19 have been injured in floods brought by torrential rains starting last week in the central provinces, the Central Flood Control Committee reported Thursday.

Quang Binh Province was hardest hit with 33 people dying and 14 missing. Ha Tinh Province ranked second with seven deaths, while Quang Tri and Nghe An posted three and five respectively, it said.

“The rains have stopped falling and the water level has visibly lowered. But the possibility of finding the missing is reduced after several days of searching,” AFP quoted Hoang Van Quyet, an official with Quang Binh Province’s natural disaster committee, as saying.

Many houses, schools, bridges and other constructions were either submerged or damaged by floods across the north of the central coast, the committee said.

More than 17,500 houses were submerged and 638 bridges and drainage systems were swept away or destroyed in Ha Tinh Province.

Tran Minh Ky, vice chairman of Ha Tinh’s People’s Committee, told the Tuoi Tre newspaper that Huong Khe District had been hit hard by flooding partly because the Ho Ho Hydropower Dam had failed to release water when heavy rains came.

In fact, as the sluice gates could be operated because of a power cut, water had overflown the dam and put it at risk of being breached, Ky said.

Water levels in rivers from Ha Tinh to Quang Binh provinces, meanwhile, have gone down after reaching the highest danger levels over the past few days, as rains have stopped or decreased.

Food and emergency medical supplies are being sent to affected communities, state media reported.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Wednesday ordered authorities in affected areas to spend budget funds to buy instant noodles and bottled water for local people in flooded area.

Tropical storms and flooding regularly hit Vietnam at this time of year.

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Floods kill 52, more relief aid on its way

Central provinces have reported that as of October 8, torrential rains and flash floods had killed 52 people and left 24 others missing.

The disaster claimed 36 lives in Quang Binh province, eight in Ha Tinh, five in Nghe An and three in Quang Tri province.

It also left 17 people missing and injured 44 in Quang Binh province, the hardest hit area.

The Prime Minister has approved emergency relief aid of 100 billion VND and 1,000 tonnes of rice for both Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces.

Deputy Prime Minster Hoang Trung led a delegation to visit the flood-hit provinces, asking them to focus on restoring the region’s essential infrastructure and help local people to rebuild their houses and get back to normal.

On October 7, an overseas Vietnamese from Australia , who was born in Quang Binh province, presented 300 gifts worth a total 100 million VND to people in Vo Ninh commune in Quang Ninh district.

Hanoi will not have fireworks displays at 29 locations around the city on October 10 as part of the planned activities to mark its millennium birthday and will donate the expenditure to flood-hit victims in the central provinces .

The city’s authorities have also called for more relief aid from individuals and organisations to help the central provinces overcome the disaster./.

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Floods cause death, devastation

The road connecting Trieu Giang and Trieu Phong districts to National Highway 1A in the central province of Quang Tri is submerged and impassable. — VNA/VNS Photo Ho Cau

HA NOI — Torrential rains brought floods and landslides to the country's central region, killing at least 12 and injuring four, with three people unaccounted for.

The floods have threatened thousands of hectares of rice fields and isolated thousands of households.

The latest figures from the central region show that four people have been killed in Ha Tinh Province, one in Quang Binh Province, three in Quang Tri Province and four in Nghe An Province. Four more people were injured and three remain missing.

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Centre said rivers from Quang Tri to Thua Thien-Hue provinces would continue to rise. The water levels in Quang Binh Province's rivers had reached their peaks and were receding slowly.

Meteorologists warned of possible flash floods and landslides in submerged and low-lying areas from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue.

Director of the centre Bui Minh Tang said a low pressure, which had slowly moved west-northwest, was likely to increase in the next few days and would continue to bring heavy rainfall to the region. Heavy downpours were forecast from Nghe An to Quang Tri and a cold spell was likely to occur in northern provinces in the upcoming days.

Reports from Quang Binh Province said the water level at Ho Ho Hydroelectricity Dam in Tuyen Hoa District was 1m over its peak and at risk of breaching the dam.

Chief of the secretariat of the district People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Tan said the committee had requested permission to drain some of the excess water to minimise the dam breach.

The floods submerged around 8,000 houses, 1,000 of which by more than 1m deep. Five houses collapsed and 80 per cent of schools and agencies in the area were underwater.

Heavy downpours blocked roads in many areas and isolated Tuyen Hoa, Minh Hoa, Le Thuy and Quang Ninh districts.

More than 370 households located on the flood plain had been relocated.

In Ha Tinh Province, hundreds of soldiers were sent to help evacuate nearly 2,000 households from low-lying areas with orders to pack food for at least eight days.

As many as 18 landslides along Highway No8A had occurred, blocking traffic and drainage systems in Huong Son District for hours.

Nearly 100 workers were mobilised to clear the roads and keep watch around the clock to ensure people's safety.

In Quang Tri Province, heavy rainfall destroyed 36 houses, seriously damaged two drainage systems and blocked main roads including Highway No9 and Ho Chi Minh Road.

More than 1,000ha of subsidiary crops in Thua Thien-Hue Province were swept away and hundreds of hectares of aquaculture breeding facilities flooded.

About 20,000 people may have to be evacuated from the flood-prone areas if the torrential rains do not stop in the next few days. Currently, more than 3,000 houses are submerged.

At least five fishing vessels have sunk and three fishermen are missing due to heavy rainfall and strong winds in Nghe An Province.

The Central Steering Committee for Floods and Storms told localities to re-examine residential areas in low-lying areas and relocate them if necessary. It also asked the provinces to take control on flooded roads and instruct road users and vehicles.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was requested to promptly take measures on the Ho Ho Dam to ensure the safety of surrounding households. — VNS

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