The National Center for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting on February 19 issued a warning over high tides that may exceed alert level 3 and thus trigger flooding in HCMC’s low-lying areas.

Road users wade through a heavily flooded Nguyen Huu Canh street in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District in this file photo. Flood tides in the city are forecast to exceed alert level 3 this week

Water levels in Mekong Delta and Saigon rivers are currently swelling and might peak on February 21-22, Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper reported.

Water levels in the Saigon River measured at Phu An station may reach alert level 3 and will likely cause flooding in residential areas and on low-lying neighboring roads.

The National Steering Committee of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on the same day also released a report on damage caused by hail, downpours and twisters on a wide scale in the northern region.

As of 5 p.m. on February 19, heavy downpours, hail and twisters injured seven local residents in Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan provinces, wreaking havoc on over 3,600 homes, 17 schools, eight classrooms and 10 cultural centers there and in Tuyen Quang.

Moreover, hundreds of hectares of paddy and plants were submerged in floodwaters, while over 1,500 poultry were killed or swept away by floodwaters and 27 electric poles broken. The damages amount to some VND16 billion, excluding damages in Tuyen Quang Province.

SGT