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Floods triggered by torrential rains in the central region have killed at least 31 people, left two missing and seriously injured three others, disaster officials said on November 17.
Flooding in Quang Ngai.
In Quang Nam alone, as many as 29 communes across four districts were completely submerged.
Rescue forces have been working to move over 63,000 people in Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen cities out of the dangerous and isolated areas to safe shelters.
On November 17, flood water started to recede in some areas and rains focused mainly in the Quang Tri-Quang Ngai provinces.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting, the rain amount in the Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces on November 16 ranged from 30 – 149 mm.
Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh are the most affected provinces.
When the central region had not dealt with the consequences of the historic flooding on November 15-16, new floods came in the afternoon on November 17, submerging thousands of houses in Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai provinces.
Floods in Quang Ngai-Binh Dinh provinces are forecast to continue, while river waters from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Nam and Phu Yen provinces will slowly go down.
Flood relief effort intensified in central region
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked relevant ministries, agencies and localities to mobilise all resources to assist flood victims in the central region.
In a telegram dated November 17, the PM sent sympathy to families that have their beloved ones lost or injured as a consequence of floods in the central region.
Over the past three days, heavy downpours, with rainfall ranging between 400-1,000mm, caused severe flooding in central coastal localities, especially in Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces.
The devastating floods caused heavy human and property losses and badly affected business production and people’s lives.
The National Search and Rescue Committee reported death toll has risen to 31 in the region, and nearly 10,000 houses and 431 hectares of rice and subsidiary crops have been damaged or inundated.
In his telegram, Dung required the affected localities to evacuate people from high-risk areas, mobilise all resources to rescue people in cut-off areas, and provide them with daily necessities to ensure no one is left thirsty or hungry.
He asked the designated localities and ministries to guide transportation at key arteries, tightly regulate dams and reservoirs, keep a tight grip on market prices, and supply sufficient medicine to prevent possible epidemic outbreaks.
PM instructs provinces on flood response
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the People’s Committees of central and Central Highlands provinces to continue evacuating people in flood-prone regions to safety.
In an order dated November 17, the PM also asked localities to reach isolated areas to provide aid relief, including food to the people there.
The National Committee for Search and Rescue and the ministries of defence and public security were assigned to deploy forces to evacuate people and conduct search and rescue upon request.
Meanwhile, the ministries of agriculture and rural development and trade and industry were asked to closely follow the changes of the floods, collaborate with the localities to operate reservoirs to ensure safety for low-land areas, prepare essential goods and food and control market prices.
The Ministry of Transport has a duty to repair roads, especially the North-South railway and express way.
For its part, the Ministry of Health has to ensure sufficient medicine is stockpiled and promptly provide medical check-ups for the flood victims.
Other ministries and agencies will support the localities to soon resume production and daily activities as soon as the floods go down.
Floods triggered by torrential rains in the central region have killed at least 31 people, left two missing and seriously injured three others, disaster officials said on November 17.-
In Quang Ngai province:
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Floods rose by over 15m in the mountainous district of Ba To, Quang Ngai province, in the evening of November 15, causing landslides in hundreds of locations, blocking traffic on all roads and damaged over a dozen bridges. The foods swept away the Ton Long Trung Bridge in Ba Dong Commune, Ba To District on the night of November 15, resulting in the complete isolation of nearly 200 households with 600 people.
Ba To district authorities said that the historic flooding has destroyed at least 10 bridges along the To and Lieng Rivers.
The Hoc Ke Bridge in Ba Dong Commune is heavily damaged. "At least 4,000 households with 16,000 persons have been isolated after the bridges crossing the To and Lieng Rivers were destroyed. Tens of thousands of soil and rock slid from the mountains to Highway 24, completely isolating Ba To District and causing traffic congestion," said Ba To’s Chair Le Han Phong.
Flood waters together with firewood destroyed 30m handrail of the Hoc Ke Bridge in Ba Dong Commune. Phong said a lot of houses, bridges and roads have been damaged by flooding, totaling at least VND100 billion ($5 million) in value.
At the house of Mr. Nguyen Van Khuyet in Hoc Ke village in Ba Dong Commune after the flood withdrew--"Last night the flood rose so fast, I and my wife just ran holding our baby to run out, so all assets have been swept away," Khuyet said.
Trees and garbage on Highway 24 from Quang Ngai to Kon Tum after the historic floods.
The landslide has turned Highway 24 in Ton Long Ha Village, Ba Dong Commune into a desert of big rocks and waterfalls. Ba To district currently has hundreds of mountain landslide points, causing traffic jams on all roads from the district center to six mountain communes.
Thousands of cubic meters of rock and soil overflew from the mountains, threatening households located along Highway 24 in Ba Dong Commune.
People cross a hill to avoid serious landslides in Ba Thanh commune, along Highway 24.
Many people were stuck on Highway 24 on the morning of November 17.
The house of Mr. Tran Van Thang in Dien An 3, Nghia Thuong Commune, Tu Nghia District, Quang Ngai province collapsed in the floods. Thousands of people in the central region are in the same situation when their houses were destroyed by the historic floods and tornado on November 15-16.
Vo Van Khanh, 14 years old, is broken-hearted for the death of his brother Vo Van Hop, 11 in floods.
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thu Van in Binh Dong village, Nghia Ha commune, Tu Nghia District cried for the death of his son on November 16.
"I’ve never witnessed any violent floods like this," said Mr. Nguyen Thiet, 84, in Binh Tay village, Nghia Ha commune, Tu Nghia district.
This little girl is trying to find the remaining books in mud after the flood withdrew.
Floods receded, people living along the Tra Khuc River dry their corn.
A man in Nghia Ha commune is cleaning his house after the floods.
After several days being isolated without food and water, on the morning of November 17, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vao in Nghia Ha commune was provided with instant noodles and fresh water. "These days, all the wells were flooded so we had to eat uncooked instant noodles. I’ve been thirsty for days," she said.
Many fields were tattered.
Mr. Huynh Chanh, Tu Nghia District Chairman (right) gives money to the families whose members died in floods.
Roads are damaged so people have to make their own ways.
People clean their houses after floods.
Liem Truc bridge abutment on Highway 1A collapsed, causing traffic on the north-south route.
Trucks queued on Highway 1A. |
In Binh Dinh province:
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Source: VNN/VNEVNA/NLD/VOV/VNA
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