Mekong Delta begins relief work after bad weather

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Authorities in the Mekong Delta are mobilising personnel and funds to provide relief and rehabilitation after houses, crops and dykes were damaged by the impact of tropical storm Sinlaku in the last few days.

The country’s largest rice, fruit and seafood producer has seen thousands of houses and thousands of hectares of crops damaged by heavy rains and strong winds.

The storm weakened into a tropical depression after making landfall over the country’s north – central region on Sunday, according to authorities.

Bac Lieu province received rains of 112 – 171mm between August 1 and 4, and many parts were inundated.

According to the local Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, 87 houses were damaged as were standing crops.

Bac Lieu authorities have mobilised relief workers to help affected people repair their homes and stabilise their lives.

In Soc Trang province, the roofs of 270 houses and three class rooms were blown off, one net house was flattened, 406ha of rice was destroyed and one person was injured between July 31 and August 4.

Ca Mau province reported on August 4 that 49 houses, 40 large trees and 130ha of banana were flattened and the roofs of 375 houses were blown away.

A river bank was eroded, damaging four houses and 20m of road.

In Kien Giang province, 548 houses, office buildings and schools lost their roofs or were flattened or inundated.

Strong winds destroyed more than 1,340ha of banana in U Minh Thuong district, causing losses of around 7 billion VND (302,000 USD).

Some 200ha of summer – autumn rice in Kien Luong district have been inundated.

Nguyen Huynh Trung, head of the Kien Giang Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said local authorities have mobilised the military, police and local forces to help affected people.

“The [personnel] have helped affected households build temporary shelters and move to safe areas.”

Localities around the province have provided funds to help affected households.

The province’s Irrigation Sub-department is opening sluices between Rach Gia city and Kien Luong district to drain water from low-lying areas.

Strong winds and waves have eroded a 700-metre section of the province’s western sea dyke in An Minh district’s Van Khanh Tay commune.

The province used cajuput tree stumps and soil to fill the eroded section, but strong winds and waves washed it away.

Trung said the province would fill the section using rocks in the next few days to prevent further erosion. The work is estimated to cost 10 billion VND (431,700 USD).

In Tra Vinh province, nearly 300 houses and thousands of hectares of rice and other crops were damaged, and hundreds of metres of dyke were eroded.

Local authorities, the military and other relief workers have helped affected households repair the damage to houses and move affected families to safety.

The province’s natural disaster support fund has provided 2 million VND (86 USD) to each family whose house has been damaged.

The Can Tho Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue has granted 200 million VND (8,600 USD) to Thoi Lai and O Mon districts to support affected people.

In the city, 12 houses have been destroyed and 88 others are damaged.

More bad weather in the city is forecast in the next few days, especially between August 6 and 8, by the city’s Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting./.