Nine die as storm batters central Vietnam

Two residents in central Ha Tinh Province flee their home after typhoon Mindulle slammed into the province on August 24, 2010.

Photo: Tuoi Tre

At least nine people died after typhoon Mindulle, the third storm to hit Vietnam so far this year, slammed into the central region Tuesday.

Storm Mindulle has delivered high winds and heavy rain to the central coastal provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh, the National Hydrometeorological Forecast Centre reported.

Rainfall averaged between 150-300mm in Nghe An while winds gusted to 102kph, says the provincial Storm and Flood Prevention and Control Committee.

The high winds uprooted many trees and damaged numerous advertising signs.

Provincial People's Committee deputy chairman Nguyen Dinh Chi said more than 4,482 vessels with 23,000 fishermen aboard had sought safety.

People in flood-and-landslide prone zone were also being evacuated to safety.

The storm was threatening 48,000ha of about-to-be harvested rice, he said.

Thanh Hoa Storm and Flood Prevention and Control Committee director Nguyen Trong Hai said rain falls had averaged 100mm.

Rain falls of more than 200mm were recorded in Ha Tinh province and more than 1,000ha of crop was damaged in Quang Tri province.

A whirlwind injured 11 people in Thua Thien-Hue province while 99 houses in the Quang Dien and Phu Vang districts were unroofed and crops submerged.

Many provincial streets were flooded up to almost 1m.

The storm also caused heavy rain in Da Nang which inundated many streets and caused hours of traffic congestion.

Forecast Centre director Bui Minh Tang said Mindulle would deliver rain falls of between 200-400mm in central-coastal provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Binh.

Rain falls in the northern mountain province of Lai Chau would total about 100mm.

The meteorologist warned of possible flash floods and landslide in the highlands and tides of between 3-5m along the coast from Hai Phong to Thanh Hoa.

Rivers in provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Tri were expected to continue rising and would be 0.5m above the first-alarm level.

The National Flood and Storm Control Steering Committee sent two teams to affected provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Binh and Quang Tri to direct the response.

Mindulle was forecast to travel north-west at 20-25kph and directly effect central provinces from Quang Binh to Thanh Hoa and the northern delta.

It was then expected to hit provinces from Thai Binh to Ha Tinh weakening into a low.

It has forced Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar to cancel around 17 domestic flights from HCMC and Hanoi to central and Central Highlands regions and vice versa.

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Landslide deaths trigger new wet-season alarms

Prolonged heavy rain triggered a landslide that has killed three people in northern Quang Ninh province.

The deaths raised safety fears for thousands of residents in the flood and landslide-prone northern mountainous provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai and Yen Bai as the wet season approaches.

Seventeen people were killed or presumed dead after floods and landslides in Ha Giang province in the first seven months of this year. Forty-two houses were also destroyed.

The province's Xin Man, Yen Minh, Bac Quang and Quang Binh districts were particularly prone to floods and landslides, officials said.

To Thanh Lai, chairman of Yen Thanh Commune People's Committee in Quang Binh district, warned that landslides were expected at numerous locations along Highway 279.

Floods and landslides killed 238 people in Lao Cai province between 2000 and 2008, swept away 1,200 houses and destroyed more than 10,000ha of paddy fields.

Le Thanh Du, the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development deputy director, said: "Floods and landslides have occurred more frequently and been more serious in recent years," adding that thousands of residents were put at risk annually.

He blamed climate change for the unpredictable weather.

"In previous years, flash floods and landslides were often caused by prolonged heavy rain of between 200-300mm, but this year, floods and landslides have taken place in areas where the rainfall has measured just 8-10mm," he said.

"As a result, local authorities have been carrying out more checks in high-risk areas to ensure response measures are prompt. They have also relocated more than 5,000 people from areas prone to flash floods and landslides," Du said.

Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre, said it was difficult to predict exactly where and when landslides and flash-floods would take place.

"The lack of flood-forecasting technology and limited training hinder our work. Reliable warnings are based on many factors, not just on the likelihood of rain," he said.

He said that flash floods and landslides often happened after spells of drought, particularly in mountainous areas and near river mouths.

"When hearing strange noises and finding that the water level in rivers has dropped suddenly or risen dramatically, people should move to safe areas," he said.

Hai added that heavy rains were expected in northern mountainous regions in the next few days./.

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