Emergency aid yet to reach hungry villagers in flooded Viet Nam

Viet Nam has been hit by the worst floods in decades after Typhoon Lekima came ashore last week, leaving houses submerged in water, Independent Online reported today.

Viet Nam has deployed 34,000 soldiers to distribute emergency supplies, such as instant noodles and drinking water, by helicopter and boat. According to locals, however, none of it has arrived.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tran Van Minh, the head of the district rescue force, each person is meant to receive 10 packs of noodles and biscuits, while each family can collect 31,000 dong, a liter of fuel oil, and a container of water. The challenge, he said, is delivering the supplies to those in need.

“We cannot move anywhere,” Van Minh said. “It will take at least one month for the situation to get back to normal.”

Meanwhile, victims are left without food or means of traveling to reach aid.

“The water has been here for days now, but we don’t have enough boats to deliver the noodles, the food and the water to the victims,” said Ha Tien Minh, chairman of the Gia Minh commune’s people’s committee. “I think the starvation threat has become more urgent.”

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