VietNamNet Bridge – It has been a fortnight since the Damrey storm swept over Khanh Hoa Province. But employees of local companies are still grappling with an uncertain future, as the textile factories, cashew processing plants and seafood farms where they worked were seriously damaged by the storm.

Many factories in Khanh Hoa Province was seriously damaged after the recent storm.--Photo phunuvietnam.com

Le Dinh Nhat Tan, director of Sao Viet Company Limited in Van Ninh Commune, said he expected the worst for his 4,000 square metre factory.

“Half of the facilities were severely destroyed in the storm, including collapsed depots and commodities. We have not yet estimated the damage. The company has to stop operating,” he said.

An entire 9,000 square metre factory run by Thanh Khue collapsed completely in the storm. Their handmade rattan and wood products were all soaked by the flood waters, so export contracts had to be cancelled.

Nguyen Thi Khue, the company’s director, worried about the future. 

“Three facilities were terribly damaged and our products were all destroyed. We even cannot measure the devastation,” she added.

Ngoc Trai Sai Gon Company Limited lost 20,000 mussels hangers and 20 ships to the storm’s huge tidal waves.

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, 17 out of 19 companies in the industrial zones of Dien Phu and Dac Loc in Nha Trang City were unroofed by strong winds. The same thing happened to companies in Ninh Hoa and Van Ninh communes. They will have to halt production for up to six months to restore the facilities.

Worker copes with the aftermath

For Dinh Thi Phuong Thao of Ninh Hoa Town, a job at Nha Trang Textile and Garment Joint Stock Company provided a stable income and ability to plan for the future. Standing in front of her newly built house, now just rubble, she told the Nguoi lao dong (The Labourer) Newspaper about how the company’s temporary closure has affected her.

“I was shocked hearing that the factory will be closed for repairs. Without a house and job, how can I earn money to feed my child?” she said.

Thao is in her seventh month of pregnancy.

Leaders of the company, however, said that nearly 1,000 workers will have to stay at home until at least November 30th.

At Sao Viet Company, production has been postponed until after the Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) Holiday.

“Six hundred workers and 1,000 collaborative households work for us. At present, only 100 workers are still completing the remaining tasks.  The others have to temporarily leave their jobs with the modest financial support we can offer,” said Tan.

Recently, Khanh Hoa Province officials visited eight heavily damaged companies in the locality. According to their estimations, 5,000 workers have lost their jobs, and 1,500 of them also saw their houses destroyed in the disaster.

Nguyen Thi Hang, deputy head of the provincial Confederation of Labour, said that the province officials were seeking ways to support workers.

“The current solution is to pay the minimum wage. Also, trade unions help provide accommodation for workers and call for support from other organisations to help them stabilize their lives after the storm,” she said. 

Source: VNS