Floods have claimed 16 lives and left two missing in north central provinces as of Monday, according to the Central Committee for Floods Prevention and Control.
It said the central province of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien - Hue provinces are the hardest hit.
Ha Tinh province recorded the worst toll with four people dead and two still missing. Nghe An has reported four deaths, including two killed by lightning.
Neighboring Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces reported a combined eight deaths.
Ha Tinh’s 29 communes being isolated
Floods were still raging in the two mountainous districts of Huong Khe and Vu Quang as of late Monday. Four were confirmed dead and two missing, and more than 50,000 houses were flooded and isolated.
In Huong Khe district, thousands of houses submerged in water. The roads to 17 communes along the Ngan Sau River were completely divided.
Residents of Loc Yen commune had to use boats to travel to the town, which is around 7 kilometers away from their villages, to buy food. "We had to travel by boats over the last two days," said Tran Dinh Lam, chairman of Loc Yen Commune People’s Committee.
People in Loc Yen, Huong Do, Phuc Trach, and Huong Trach communes have another fear: the rupture of Ho Ho hydropower plant. Many people say the risk of a broken hydropower dam is growing. They are living in fear, as a "giant water bag" is hanging over the heads of more than 70,000 residents.
"People are living in panic," said Le Van Son of Huong Trach commune. On Sunday evening, they are thrilled with the information reported from the plant. When they heard the water level has decreased, people breathed a sign of relief.
According to the provincial Department of Dyke Management and Flood Control, the dam is still safe.
As of last night, Huong Khe district has reported two dead and two missing people. Flood waters have isolated 17 communes with 16,520 households.
In Vu Quang district, 12 villages have been flooded, including seven being severely flooded. A kindergarten in Duc Bong commune collapsed due to landslides. Two primary students in Huong Son district were killed by flood waters.
On Monday, Huong Khe District People's Committee distributed two tons of instant noodles and 500 bottles of water to affected residents.
Quang Binh: Gianh River submerges villages
"What a huge flooding. No predictions about the floods have been made before hand,” said Dang Tien Dung, deputy director of Quang Binh Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The rainfall in Minh Hoa district has reached 1,171 millimeters, which is higher than the average rainfall of the whole province in a year,” he said.
Heavy rains caused sudden floods on the Gianh river. Tuyen Hoa district had to relocate 1,200 households with 4,500 inhabitants. More than 7,000 houses were flooded, and two houses in Thanh Hoa commune were washed down. Nine ships were swept away by flood waters on the river.
Riverside villages in Tuyen Hoa district were immersed in mud-like red waters. The water levels in the province's rivers had reached their peaks and were receding slowly.
The floods submerged around 8,000 houses, 1,000 of which by more than 1 meter deep. Five houses collapsed and 80 percent 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.
Floods rage in other provinces
In Quang Tri Province, heavy rainfall destroyed 36 houses, seriously damaged two drainage systems and blocked main roads including Highway No.9 and Ho Chi Minh Road.
More than 1,000 hectares 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 Prevention and Control 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 hydropower dam to ensure the safety of surrounding households.
Meteorologists warned of possible flash floods and landslides in submerged and low-lying areas from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue.
Director of the center 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.
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