Heavy rains and floods cause havoc in Dien Bien, Son La

A landslide blocks a road in Lai Chau province after heavy rains in recent days. (Photo: NDO)

From August 27 to 28, Dien Bien province was faced with a deluge from heavy rains and thunderstorms, causing flash floods in some areas. According to the provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, downpours and flooding caused damages in the districts of Nam Po, Tua Chua, Tuan Giao and Muong Cha, with more than 70 houses washed away.

Local traffic has been blocked after landslides cut off several National Highways and inter-provincial routes. In addition, more than 130ha of rice was flooded, 30ha of fishponds were swept away, and three schools in Cha Nua commune (Nam Po district) were inundated, forcing hundreds of students to evacuate.

Estimated total damages in Dien Bien stand at VND4.6 billion. The local authorities have deployed missions to help locals overcome the disaster and stabilise their lives.

Meanwhile, in Son La province, floods have forced 10 households in Muong La district to be urgently relocated, more than 15ha of rice paddies in Muong Bu commune are flooded and 10ha of maize in Ta Bao commune has been buried. A spate of landslides have hit National Highway 279D and Na Lech village in Chieng Lao commune and Ta Bu commune, causing traffic jams.

In Son La’s Mai Son district, heavy rains have caused flash floods and landslides to hit the headquarters of the Ta Hoc commune People's Committee and the Ta Hoc ethnic boarding and primary schools. Floods severely damaged rice fields and other crops. Local authorities have mobilised forces to help residents move their property to safety.

Yen Bai province has also suffered from landsides on several routes, blocking traffic.

Soldiers of Keng Du Border Guard Station, Ky Son district, Nghe An province, help locals in Keng Duc commune move their homes to safe locations. (Photo: NDO)

Due to the impact of floods, Ky Son district in Nghe An province suffered huge losses with six people dead and missing. Over the past 10 days, despite a lot of effort, one person is still missing due to floods in Muong Ai border commune.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, from August 28 to 31, heavy rains are likely to continue in the north and in the two provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, with rainfall ranging from 100 to 200mm, even 200 to 300mm in Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien and Son La provinces. The weather service also warned of flash floods and landslides in Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Can and Lang Son.

To support locals in distress, delegates from relevant agencies, authorities and donors have arrived at the scenes of disasters to provide support to victims. From August 25 to 27, the Nghe An Border Guard Command offered hundreds of gifts to locals in Muong Ai and Muong Tip border communes in Ky Son district, which suffered severe flood damage. Officials and employees at the headquarters of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and an enterprise donated VND362 million to help ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas in the north and north central regions affected by disasters.

The People's Security Institute also presented 24 gifts worth VND2 million each, 60 sets of textbooks and daily essentials to affected families and students recovering from severe damages due to natural disasters in Phong Du Thuong commune, Van Yen district, Yen Bai province.

In Tuyen Quang province, the Fund for the Poor at all levels in the locality has allocated nearly VND3.5 billion to support 124 disadvantaged households in communes affected by natural disasters./.

NDO