Floods, whirlwinds leave 3 dead, 1 injured in northern Vietnam

HANOI – Floods and severe weather in northern Vietnam between July 31 and Aug 2 caused widespread damage, killing three children and injuring one.

Flash floods killed three children in Gia Phu commune, in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son.

A landslide of nearly 100 cubic meters of soil and rock blocked a road in Na Cai village, Yen Son commune, disrupting traffic.

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The Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported that in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds injured one person.

Landslides and flooding affected 13 houses, while the local authorities evacuated 30 households to safer areas.

Flooding also damaged 8ha of rice fields.

Following the disasters, local authorities deployed emergency forces to affected areas to assist residents, assess damage and help restore production and daily life.

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The authority has maintained round-the-clock monitoring of weather conditions, natural disasters and dyke systems, while providing forecast updates to local authorities to support disaster response.

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In coordination with Zalo Vietnam – the country’s leading messaging platform – it also sent disaster preparedness guidance to six million mobile subscribers in areas forecast to face heavy rain, flooding, flash floods, landslides, strong winds, lightning and hail.

The local authorities have been instructed to remain on alert, closely monitor weather forecasts and implement response and recovery measures.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the northern region and the northern province of Thanh Hoa are expected to experience showers, moderate rain and thunderstorms from the night of Aug 3 to Aug 7, with some areas likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.

From the night of Aug 3 to Aug 11, the central province of Nghe An to Hue City and the south-central coast are forecast to see scattered evening and nighttime showers and thunderstorms.

The Central Highlands and southern regions will also experience scattered showers and thunderstorms, with locally heavy rain expected from around Aug 4 to Aug 5.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of the centre’s Weather Forecast Division, warned that thunderstorms could bring whirlwinds, lightning, hail and strong gusts.

To minimize damage and prepare for further heavy rain, flooding, flash floods, landslides and severe weather, the National Civil Defense Steering Committee has urged affected provinces and cities to closely monitor forecasts and warnings, promptly inform the local authorities and residents, and mobilize forces for recovery efforts. /dl