Hanoi (VNA) - Historic floods have wreaked havoc in Vietnam’s central provinces over the last week or so, prompting the launch of a number of fundraising events on October 19 to help those affected.
The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) co-hosted a meeting with members of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership (DRRP) to call for international assistance to ease the devastation.
The meeting was chaired by MARD Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep and Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam Andrew Jeffries, both of whom co-chair the DRRP.
DRRP members said they are committed to supporting Vietnam in surveying disasters and delivering necessities to people in the central region.
The ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre), the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, the Embassy of the US and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in Vietnam, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) have so far pledged to provide relief to flood-hit provinces.
According to Jeffries, three expert groups from the DRRP will tour the five cities and provinces of Da Nang, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, and Quang Nam from October 20 to 23 to survey and assess damage and then develop plans to help those affected.
Meanwhile, the Government Office organised a fundraising event for flood victims that was attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Deputy Prime Ministers Truong Hoa Binh, Pham Binh Minh, Vu Duc Dam, and Trinh Dinh Dung.
In his remarks, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said the record floods, triggered by heavy rainfall of up to 3,000 mm, in some locations have taken a heavy toll on central provinces, particularly Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Tri.
The flooding has isolated many communities and affected the lives of more than 135,000 households.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Fatherland Front of northern Bac Giang province, and the Military High Command of the Mekong Delta’s Soc Trang province also launched appeals to raise funds which will be sent to those in need to help them overcome the difficulties and quickly resume production.
The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported that, as of 6 am on October 19, the floods had forced the four hardest-hit provinces, from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue, to evacuate 37,490 households, or 121,280 people, while close to 121,700 homes in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri have been inundated by floodwaters.
The disaster has so far claimed 90 lives and left 34 missing; destroyed 12 highways and 17.4 km of local roads; damaged 924 ha of rice and 106,616 ha of other crops; and killed or washed away more than half a million heads of cattle and poultry.
The devastating flooding, which has lasted for more than 10 days, was caused by 30-year record rainfall.
On October 18, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc decided to aid Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, and Quang Nam with 4,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserve, with each receiving 1,000 tonnes./.
