Death toll from flooding in Viet Nam rises, with typhoon expected this weekend

Government reports issued today say that more people in central Viet Nam have died due to floods, raising the death toll to 82 as fears of a typhoon, expected to hit the country this weekend, loom, Reuters reported today.

Provincial authorities have been asked by the government to warn people about the danger of moving as the flood water receded. Many deaths have been reported during the first part of this week while people tried to salvage wood and cross streams.

The flooding could also spread the bird flu in Quang Tri Province, an Agriculture Ministry Official said. Quang Tri is one of the four provinces that reported an outbreak of the disease among birds in the past month.

Typhoon Peipah, which entered the South China Sea on Monday, is expected to hit the central province of Khanh Hoa, the top coffee growing province in the country. Vietnamese officials have also asked the coastal provinces to warn fisherman as the typhoon heads for the coast.

Almost 200 people have been killed from storms and floods since early October.

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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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Rescuers struggle to help Vietnamese communities hit by typhoon

Rescuers are rushing to aid communities in central Viet Nam hit by Typhoon Lekima, Agence-France Presse reported today.

Floods created by the storm have killed at least 17 people, with another six people reported missing, local officials said.

In Nghe An Province, flash floods isolated parts of one neighborhood.

“Several residential areas have been submerged under water, and it’s difficult to approach them. We have mobilized military boats and vessels to help in relief activities,” Long said.

“The water level of rivers there has risen rapidly, reaching the record level of 80.19 meters (264 feet) Friday,” provincial disaster official Dao Van Long said.

Lekima has damaged 77,000 homes and structures and 87,000 acres of crops, while causing a total material loss of approximately $41 million, the Hanoi storm committee reported.

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