Natural disasters in the first nine months of 2017 left 169 people dead or missing, while causing damages estimated at nearly VND21.5 trillion (US$946 million), according to the latest statistics from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.

Border guards assist local people in repairing their houses in Lap An Lagoon, Thua Thien-Hue province after damage caused by strong Typhoon Doksuri in mid-September.

In September alone, typhoons, floods, heavy rains and landslides seriously affected the lives and production of many localities throughout the country.

According to preliminary reports, natural disasters killed 29 people and injured 97 others, damaging nearly 206,000 thousand houses, 21,700 ha of rice and 15,100 ha of other crops. During the month, the total damage caused by natural disasters was estimated at VND16.7 trillion.

Especially in mid-September, as Typhoon Doksuri, considered the strongest in a decade, landed in the central provinces; but thanks to the accurate forecast and the timely storm prevention activities by all sectors and localities, the damage caused by the storm was limited.

However, the strong storm still caused severe damage to the central coastal provinces, especially in the storm-affected areas from Ha Tinh to Quang Binh provinces.

Preliminary reports reveal that Typhoon Doksuri killed 11 people and injured 81 others, damaged 202,000 houses and inundated over 80,000 ha of rice and crops, with the total damage estimated at over VND16 trillion.

At present the affected localities are urgently overcoming the consequences of the storm, repairing traffic systems, rebuilding houses and restoring production in order to stabilise the lives of the local people.

During the nine month period, natural disasters also injured 232 people, damaged nearly 235,000 homes and destroyed over 110,000 ha of rice and crops. Of which, the hardest hit provinces were Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Yen Bai.

Also according to the preliminary reports, the total amount of cash aid relief given to the localities affected by natural disasters since the beginning of the year stands at more than VND551 billion.

Nhan Dan