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Viet Nam

Vietnam Floods: Appeal No. 32/99 - Situation Report No. 1

Period covered: 5 November to 14 November 1999
Following an impressive response from Government, private business, and individuals, cash as well as in-kind relief supplies have been reaching the intended beneficiaries. The assistance and manpower provided by volunteers of the Vietnam Red Cross (VNRC) as well as the Federation has been particularly instrumental in responding to the needs. Based upon recent assessments, it is clear that the needs are much higher than originally foreseen, and a full Appeal with a revised budget and plan of action will be issued in the coming days.

The context

Severe uncontrolled flooding, considered among the worst in Vietnam this century, inundated seven provinces in Central Vietnam on November 2. The devastating floods followed heavy non-stop rain for 48 hours over the highlands and the Perfume River basin, immediately filling up the three main river-based drainage systems in the Province of Thua Thien Hue. Flooding also occurred in the provinces of Quang Bing, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh. In some communes in Thua Thien Hue, the worst hit province, little is left standing. Bridges, schools, houses and livestock have been swept away by unusually strong currents. Entire communities have been uprooted. Thua Thien Hue province experienced over 2,500 mm of rain in three days prior to the massive floods. Water levels exceeded historical highs, reaching up to three metres in some communes. The city of Hue was heavily flooded with waters reaching depths of between 2 and five metres.

Latest events

As of Sunday, November 14, the number of deaths recorded is 622, with 373 in Thua Tien Hue province alone. About 70 people are listed as missing. Over one million people are directly affected, for many of them this is a repeat of severe seasonal flooding experienced in the last five years.

The following table reflects the extent of the damage and destruction (source of information: Disaster
Management Unit of the Vietnam Government):

Houses destroyed: 41,846
Houses damaged: 870,000
Classrooms destroyed and damaged: 94,000
Clinics flooded and damaged: 510
Rice fields flooded and damaged: 66,308 ha
Other crops: 30,700 ha
Bridges destroyed: 1,470
Shrimp and fish farms destroyed: 3,117ha
Boats and ships damaged and sunk: 1,162
Estimated total economic loss: US$ 488 million

Heavy rains ceased on November 6 and flood water began receding allowing a preliminary assessment
of damage and a start to emergency relief operations, though residual floodwaters hampered
assessment and emergency relief forcing extensive use of helicopter for evacuation and food delivery.
Road and rail links, extensively damaged, have been partially restored except for parts of Namdong
district in Thua Thien Hue and Quang Nam districts where the situation remains critical with some
communes cut off and accessible only by air.

Red Cross/Red Crescent action

The VNRC supported by the International Federation, has been active in evacuation, relief distribution and assessment from the onset of the disaster. The VNRC extensive grassroots network, and full support by the authorities at every level, ensured speed and coverage for the relief operation. Food stocks in Hue and other areas were swept away and destroyed by the floods but through its extensive network and high level of experience, local knowledge and competence, the Vietnam Red Cross has been able to meet the most basic needs, using its own resources and the USD$ 50,000 released from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). The National Society has enjoyed the full support and co-operation of the Vietnamese Government and the armed forces of the country.

Since Saturday, November 12, Red Cross volunteers in Hue have been collecting the dead and livestock for cremation to prevent outbreak of diseases. The Red Cross has also distributed lime to all districts of Thua Thien Hue, at the request of the Provincial Health Authorities, to help with burials. Emergency relief really began to reach beneficiaries last Friday (November 12) when the Vietnamese military flew the Red Cross relief team from Da Nang with 12 mt of emergency relief - food, plastic sheeting and communications equipment.

The Federation's Head of Delegation in Vietnam, flew into Hue on Sunday with 9 mt of instant noodles and various communication equipment. Immediate discussions were held with the local Peoples' Committee and senior government ministers, including the deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Ministers of Health, Agriculture and Finance. A helicopter assessment was also undertaken by the Head of Delegation together with an ECHO representative and VNRC officials. Since these initial emergency flights the Red Cross has transported and distributed over 30 mt of relief supplies at commune level, including plastic sheeting, water containers and blankets. Three boats, immediately flown in from Hanoi, have been used to access remote areas around the lagoon area in Hue, which was seriously flooded. Over 300,000 people live along the banks of the lagoon.

The Head of Delegation also worked with the Quang Nam provincial chapter in their assessment of needs, and the Delegation has visited each province along with representatives of VNRC Headquarters.

On Thursday, November 11, the United States airlifted 20 mt of urgently needed relief materials, delivering 160 rolls of plastic sheeting, 3,200 water containers and 2,400 blankets for temporary storage in Red Cross warehouses. The US Government also pledged US$ 450,000 to the Federation to fund the preparation and distribution of household kits to the most affected families.

Donations in cash and kind are arriving from many National Societies, including France, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, China, and the EU countries. To date, US$ 2.4 million has been received for the US$ 3.1 million Red Cross appeal. The Red Cross is now moving into the second phase of the operation, procuring rice, blankets, mosquito nets and household utensils. The Federation is also working closely with Medecins sans Frontiers (MSF) France who are carrying out a health assessment. The Red Cross team in Vietnam has been strengthened with two more relief and logistics delegates, bringing the total number of Federation expatriates in the VNRC operation to nine.

An impressive element in the relief response has been the hundreds of metric tonnes of assistance collected by the VNRC and the Fatherland Front from the local population of Vietnam. Every day since the disaster happened, thousands of small donations in cash and kind have been received and swiftly dispatched to the affected provinces. This has made the emergency phase considerably easier to manage, with the immediate food and clothing needs being eased significantly. The Government of Vietnam, in addition to the tremendous logistical support from the airforce, military and state rail and road transport companies, has released 8,400 mt of rice from the National Reserve, several hundred metric tons of instant noodles, and substantial amounts of clothing. This assistance is currently being distributed in a blanket coverage for this emergency phase of the operation.

External relations - Government/UN/NGOs/Media

Extensive media coverage of Red Cross mobilisation both in Vietnam and internationally is helping donors and the international community realise and understand the huge scale of the disaster. A regional information officer was dispatched from the Regional Information Unit in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday (November 13) to assist with media relations and reporting.

A large-scale public fund raising campaign is ongoing in Vietnam with donations from companies, individuals and public organisations. Two official lines for fund raising are authorised by the government, the Red Cross and the Fatherland Front, the umbrella organisation for all other mass organisations. Several million dong have been raised with the support of the national media.

The U.S. Government cash and in-kind donation to the Red Cross received extensive national and international media coverage. Eight public health specialist are due to arrive from the US to work on community health assessment and rehabilitation. The Federation will co-ordinate their work and that of other health, water and sanitation related assessments.

The Italian embassy in Hanoi is organising a concert to raise funds for the Red Cross. Co-operation from other embassies, international agencies, locally-based NGOs and MSF is excellent, particularly in the worst hit province of Thua Thien Hue.

Outstanding needs

With recent assessments indicating that needs far exceed those presented in the Preliminary Appeal, a full appeal with a revised budget and plan of action is under preparation. This appeal will focus on the second phase rehabilitation programme.

Contributions

A full Contributions List will be presented in the next Situation report.

Hiroshi Higashiura
Director
Asia and Pacific Department

Peter Rees-Gildea
Director
Operations Funding and
Reporting Department