Heavy rains, strong winds damage houses in Mekong Delta

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Heavy rains and strong winds damaged houses and caused erosion along riverbanks and coastal areas in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta over the weekend (August 1-2).

In Can Tho city, heavy rains and strong winds blew off the roofs of six houses and flattened many trees along streets in Ninh Kieu district on August 2, according to the city’s Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue.

The city cleared fallen trees on the same day and traffic resumed to normal. There were no casualties.

Over the weekend, the city faced heavy rains on a large scale caused by the impact of Sinlaku, which was the second storm hitting the country this year which weakened to a tropical depression when it landed in the north-central region on August 2.

In Hau Giang province, three houses were flattened and the roofs of three other houses were blown off in Long My district and Vi Thanh city.

Tran Thanh Toan, head of the province’s Irrigation Sub - department and Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said local forces helped affected households clear the flattened houses.

In Kien Giang province, heavy rains and whirlwinds caused damage to many houses and construction projects on Phu Quoc district.

In the district’s An Thoi town, seven houses were flooded and five houses' roofs blew off. Five fishing boats in the town sank after being hit by strong waves and 12 fishermen on the boats were swept into the sea but were rescued.

Strong waves also flattened a house near the coast in the district’s Ganh Dau commune.

In Soc Trang province, heavy rains caused riverbank erosion in Long Phu district’s Song Phung and Phu Huu communes on August 1.

In Song Phung commune’s Phung Tuong 1 hamlet, a 40 metre - long, 10 metre - wide section of a riverside road fell into the Hau River. The incident damaged three houses in the commune.   

In Phu Huu commune, erosion occurred along 20m in Phu Huu hamlet, threatening the safety of one house.

Pham Tan Dao, head of the province’s Irrigation Sub – department, said erosion along rivers, canals and coasts has occurred over a total of 2,156 metres in recent years, affecting the lives of local residents and damaging 19 houses and 400ha of mangrove forests.  

High tides have also eroded 26,522m of embankments and rural roads in the province in recent years, he said./.