By Ly Nguyen, IFRC
Torrential rains over the past week in Viet Nam have caused extensive flooding and landslides in Ha Long, Quang Ninh Province prompting the Viet Nam Red Cross Society to provide emergency relief to the local population.
Quang Ninh, a large province on the northeastern coast, is prone to flooding during the monsoon season but the rains this year are considered to be the heaviest in 40 years, so far leaving 17 people dead and eight missing.
The Secretary General of the Viet Nam Red Cross Society, Doan Van Thai, led a team of emergency responders from Hanoi to the affected area and worked with members of the Quang Ninh Red Cross Chapter to provide immediate relief to the local population and conducted an initial assessment of the damage and needs in affected areas.
Initial assistance has included cash distributions to households with family members who were killed or injured in the flooding, as well as distributions of household kits comprised of blankets, mosquito nets, water containers, cooking sets and water purification tablets.
“This support is intended to meet the immediate needs of those affected,” said Tran Quoc Hung, director of Viet Nam Red Cross Society headquarters disaster management department. “The heavy rains are continuing and we will decide the next steps as more detailed information on the scale of damage comes in.”
Red Cross volunteers from the provincial chapter and Ha Long and Cam Pha City branches have been mobilized to support affected families and assist with cleanup efforts. The Quang Ninh Red Cross Chapter is also calling for support from other Red Cross chapters and branches. By 29 July, 4,469 people and 148 vehicles had been mobilized to support the response and assist in the evacuation of 1,347 people from areas that are prone to landslides in three districts of Quang Ninh province.
Almost 4,000 houses, schools and hospital buildings have been flooded and over 1,000 hectares of crops and aquaculture has been damaged. Current economic losses are estimated to be VND 1 trillion (USD 45.8 million).
There are concerns that the continuing rains in Northern Viet Nam, especially in Northwestern mountainous provinces, could cause flash floods or landslides.