Vietnam Province Struggles to Overcome Consequences of Worst-ever Flood

People and authorities in Vietnam’s northern province of Quang Ninh are struggling to survive from the worst-ever flood in history as they are confronting with a series of issues after the locality experienced the biggest rains for the past four decades with rainfall of around 1,000 mm. The provincial leaders are asking more support from military and security forces to remove people out of risky places where are under threats of inundation and landslide after the rains poured down the locality for four days from July 25. Local residents are making efforts to rearrange their life with sanitation works and spending for food and foodstuff after the natural disasters that caused 24 deaths and missing with damage worth more than VND1.5 trillion ($68.76 million). Many other parts of the locality are submerged in meters of water while many places are suffering power cut and water shortage, waiting for at least one week to be back to normal activities. Quang Ninh’s authorities have called upon individuals and organizations to help it surmount difficulties. Upon the appeal, Dao Hong Tuyen, the manager of Tuan Chau island in Quang Ninh, donated VND2 billion and a Rolls-Royce Phantom car which was offered at a starting price of VND16 billion for an auction. The rains have caused a standstill to the province’s economy. Hoanh Mo border gate linking with China needed to be closed, causing stuck to hundreds containers waiting for custom clearance. Food and foodstuff become scarce, lifting the prices up and leaving thousands people in miserable situation. Currently, about 2,500 visitors are stuck in Co To Island and somewhere in the province where is home to UNESCO-recognized natural heritage Ha Long Bay. Hoang Duc Cuong, head of the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), said that the rains were impossible to forecast. (Tin Tuc – News July 30 p4, VnExpress.net July 29, nld.com.vn July 30)