A total of 111 people have lost their lives
or gone missing after falling victim to repeated floods that struck the central
part of Vietnam since October. The casualties were reported during a
teleconference chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 17th,
which was aimed at discussing measures to cope with the consequences brought
about by floods in central provinces. According to the Vietnamese head of
government, as floodwater has subsided at a slow pace, the top priority must be
given to rescuing and providing assistance for the affected residents, as well
as preventing starvation, epidemics, and further damage. Local authorities were
urged to exert maximum efforts to help people repair their houses and deal with
other consequences. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung attributed the
exacerbation of flooding to the poor management of local reservoirs and
hydroelectric projects. The deputy premier ordered relevant agencies to closely
monitor the operation and safety of over 600 reservoirs in the central
provinces and the Central Highlands. According to the Department of Natural
Disaster Prevention and Control, torrential rains and floods that have ravaged
the central region since mid-October have caused 111 people to die or go missing
and injured some 121 others. A total of 316,720 houses were submerged and
damaged while about 42,800 hectares of paddy and 39,200 hectares of crops were
destroyed. Many farmers in the central provinces have lost spaces for
agriculture and aquaculture to floodwaters, with total damage estimated at over
VND8.5 trillion (US$37.4 million), the department stated. Large areas of flower
gardens, which are to be decorations for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday,
have also been devastated by the inundation, causing immense losses for the
owners. During the meeting, leaders of the affected localities called on the
central government to provide support for flood victims to restore their daily
life and production, requesting the emergency supply of 5,850 metric tons of
rice and some five metric tons of dry food. Hoang Duc Cuong, director of the
National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, warned of the coming of
another wave of flood in the region between December 26 and 28, with rainfall
expected to total about 300 millimeters. The bad weather condition is the
result of a tropical depression forming in the East Vietnam Sea, combined with
a cold front, Cuong elaborated.
VOV
News – December 19 - http://english.vov.vn/society/111-people-killed-missing-due-to-floods-in-central-vietnam-since-october-339603.vov
111 people killed, missing due to floods in central Vietnam since October
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