Nation comes to aid of flood-hit provinces

HA NOI — Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh yesterday sent a message of condolence to provinces in Central Viet Nam and Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands) that have suffered the brunt of recent floods.
Manh expressed his sympathy to victims’ families and praised the work of civil servants, residents and soldiers in dealing with the aftermath of the adverse weather conditions.
He also asked the Government and leaders of cities and provinces to focus on stabilising residents’ living conditions in flood-affected areas.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also sent a message to people in provinces struck by storms in Central Viet Nam and Tay Nguyen (the Central Highlands).
He asked related ministries to help residents in the provinces rebuild their homes and clean up after the floods.
The PM also urged northern mountainous provinces to be on the alert for flash floods that may be caused by heavy rains from degrading Storm Pabuk.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung on Thursday made an inspection tour of the flood-battered central province Ha Tinh.He urged government ministries, branches and local authorities to focus their efforts and available resources on helping local people resume normality as soon as possible.
Across the country, at least 56 people have been killed by the floods so far, according to Flood and Storm Control Committees of provinces.
By Thursday, floods and lightning had killed 19 people in Ha Tinh, injuring five, with one still missing.
Estimated cost of the damage in the province has been set at over VND400 billion (US$25 million).At present, close to 30,000 households in the locality are still marooned as communes in Huong Khe and Vu Quang districts remain submerged in 3 to 5 metres of water.
Meanwhile in central and Central Highlands provinces the death toll has topped 40, with 13 still missing, according to the Central Storm and Flood Prevention and Control Steering Committee.
According to the department, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has been hit hardest financially with initial losses estimated at VND630 billion ($39.3 million).
In Tien Giang Province, a whirlwind at 4am yesterday damaged 74 houses in Go Cong Tay District, and impaired hundreds of ha of rice and vegetables.
Tropical storm lulls
In a change for the better, the Department for Dike Management and Flood and Storm Control has announced that Typhoon Pabuk has degraded to an area of tropical low pressure. The low pressure system is now over the coastal area of Guangdong Province (China), 230km east of the Leizhou Peninsula.
Strong winds in the centre of the pressure system were measured at 39-61km per hour, with gusts more than 61km per hour.
It is forecast that in the next 24 hours, the tropical low pressure will move gradually, ending up at sea 21.3 degrees north latitude and 112.3 degrees west longitude, 150km east of Leizhou Peninsula by 1am today.
Facing the aftermath
A section of National Highway No 1A in the central province of Ha Tinh jammed by floods for a day has been put into action again.
Director of Management Company 474 Nguyen Truong Tuong, in charge of the repair work, said the Son Tra Bridge in Son Tra Commune, Huong Son District suffered serious damages on Thursday morning but was repaired and ready for use yesterday.
It took more than 100 workers and dozens of vehicles and bulldozers to get the 12m long, 7m wide road ship shape again, the company said.
Repair workers are also busy in Quang Binh where the provincial Railway Management Company reported 54 out of 60 damaged sections of railway in the province had been fixed.
Also in Quang Binh Province, a memorial service was held to commemorate Lieutenant Pham Huu Huyen, 34, born in Le Thuy District, who lost his life while helping residents in Tuyen Hoa District.
Huyen used his boat to rescue 74 flood-hit residents from raging waters but tragedy struck when his boat was overturned by a whirlpool. His body was discovered on Thursday afternoon.
Fourteen people so far have been killed by storms in Quang Binh.
Central province Nghe An hasn’t fared much better, with two people killed by falling rocks and lightning. Storm No 2 caused damage worth around VND38 billion, waterlogging 2,000ha of rice and 3,500ha of crops and washed away 350ha of fish and shrimp breeding ponds.
In Dak Lak, 14 have died and seven remain missing. Damage, estimated to stand at VND630 billion includes more than 6,500 houses submerged, 137 others washed away, 17,400ha of rice and 11,400ha of corn damaged, dozens of dams broken and 77km of rural roads destroyed.
Dak Lak have used their local budget to buy more than 1,120 tonnes of rice to feed 17,180 flood-hit families.
Eight people remain missing and as many as 394 houses have collapsed or been washed away by floods; 54,459 houses remain waterlogged; and 98,543 houses are submerged. More than 98,500ha of crops are waterlogged and 4,267ha of shrimp breeding ponds have been washed away. — VNS