Under perennial threat of torrential rainfall, mudslides and flashfloods, the People’s Committee of the northern province of Yen Bai has asked local authorities and related agencies to be ready with relocation plans for both residents and employees living in and around highly vulnerable zones.
Colonel Nong Hong Lai, deputy head of the Steering Committee for Flood Prevention and Control in the province, said that two people are still reported missing in the recent landslide. T
The two missing are siblings, named Ly A Lenh, 28, and Ly A Xinh, 30. Lai said that rough terrain and continuous rainfall is hampering search and rescue operations, even though more than a 100 people have been deployed in the search.
Until September 10, the northern province of Thanh Hoa had reported nine people dead and 12 others injured in torrential rainfall and flashfloods. Two people are still unaccounted for. Rains have completely damaged 135 houses and submerged almost 6,000, along with more than 18,000 hectares of rice fields.
More than 600 meters of dykes in Tho Xuan and Trieu Son Districts have burst, flooding many major routes in the area such as the National Highways No.217, No. 15, No. 45 or the Ho Chi Minh Trail, causing severe traffic congestion.
Vietnam Red Cross has sent 500 packages of essential commodities such as 1,000 blankets, 500 mosquito nets, 500 sets of cookware, and 1,000 containers of clean water and 80,000 Aquatas water purification pills to help stranded people in the northern provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
Thanh Hoa and Nghe An Provinces, two of the most badly affected areas, also received VND130 million (approx. US$6,235) to buy instant noodles and water for residents.
| Nguyen Hai Duong, chairman of Vietnam Red Cross has sent his condolence to families of victims in the recent landslide in La Pan Tan Commune of Mu Cang Chai District in Yen Bai Province. Each household of a dead and injured victim will receive VND2 million (US$96) and VND1 million ($48) respectively. The Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Fatherland Front Committee sent their sympathies and support of VND500 million ($23,980) for each victim in Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa Provinces and VND100 million ($4,796) for Yen Bai Province. Many charity groups and donors throughout the country have also sent more than VND585 million ($28,058) for the landslide victims in Yen Bai Province. |
Local authorities stated that they were doing their utmost to ease the dire situation despite continuous heavy rainfall.
In related news, Tran Quang Tu, vice chairman of the People’s Committee of Dinh Quan District in the southern province of Dong Nai, said that thundershowers on the evening of September 9 ripped roofs off 30 houses and the nearby Nguyen Thi Minh Khai School. Many trees in the schoolyard also fell or were uprooted; as a result the school had to close down for one day for clean up operations.
Other areas besides Dinh Quan Town also suffered and local authorities have warned residents of possible strong windstorms. At the moment, the local armed forces are helping citizens to clean up their houses.
According to the National Hydro Meteorological Forecasting Center, in the central parts of the East Sea, a low pressure system is forming, causing bad weather and widespread heavy rain in the South. By the afternoon of September 10, the location of the low pressure system is expected to be at 13-15 degrees north latitude and 113-115 degrees east longitude. At present it is heading eastwards with wind velocity of 7-10km per hour.
In the next few days the weather in South Vietnam will be wet, with little sunshine during the daytime, lots of rain and strong winds at night. In North Vietnam, the weather will turn slightly more cold as another new low pressure system is brewing out at sea, bringing in heavy rain across most of the North and Central parts of the country.
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