VietNamNet Bridge – Flash floods and landslides are causing severe damage to many localities in central and Central Highlands provinces, and are expected to continue hitting the region following Tropical Storm Gaemi.




Heavy rain and flash floods caused severe erosion around a dam on the Dak Uy River
in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. The damage was caused
by tropical storm Gaemi, which also hit other provinces in the region.


According to the Centre for Flood and Storm Prevention in the Central Highlands, heavy rain had left two dead, two missing and two injured.

About 600 houses were destroyed or flooded, and nearly 300ha of rice and 2370ha of farm products were submerged by flood water. More than 110 irrigation works collapsed, and nearly 20,000 cubic metres of road were damaged.

Dinh Van Luong, chief accountant at the centre, said that the total estimated damage in the region reached up to VND35 billion (US$1.7 million). Binh Dinh Province has suffered the most, accounting for nearly one-third of the sum. Local authorities evacuated 5,300 local people from areas directly affected by the storm.

Luong said that the centre had sent a delegation to the localities to join local authorities to cope with the storm and take urgent measures to prevent landslides.

In the near future, local authorities and people will focus on reinforcing dykes and embankments.

In Phu Yen Province, local people are still worried about landslides as water levels in Ba Ha River continue to rise due to the water discharged from the Ba Ha River Hydroelectric Plant.

The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong's steering committee for flood and storm prevention and natural disaster mitigation has also warned that water levels in most rivers in the province were rising rapidly. They are estimated to be 3-5 metres higher than normal.

VietNamNet/VNS