A sugar cane field in Tran Yen district of Yen Bai is damaged by whirlwinds and heavy rains (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Extreme weather events took a heavy toll on many northern mountainous provinces during the night of April 21.
Yen Bai province recorded heavy rains and whirlwinds which impacted about 1,730 houses and destroyed seven. Nearly 60ha of maize and rice, along with dozens of hectares of industrial crops were ruined.
Total asset damage is valued at 3 billion VND (134,600 USD), according to the provincial steering board for disaster prevention and rescue.
In Cao Bang province, a strong whirlwind accompanied by a torrential thirty minute rainstorm unroofed nearly 1,270 houses, demolishing two and damaging 1.2ha of crops, preliminary data show.
Damage there is estimated at 1.8 billion VND (over 80,700 USD), said Hua Van Kien – the standing head of the province’s water resources division.
The provincial steering board for disaster prevention said the hardest-hit areas are Trung Khanh and Quang Uyen districts and some remote localities.
Meanwhile, whirlwinds, lightning and hailstorms in Lai Chau province damaged 820 houses, 14 classrooms and over 24ha of crops, resulting in a combined loss of more than 1.2 billion VND (over 53,800 USD).
Similar weather events in Lai Chau on late April 18 and 19 killed one person and injured two others. The extreme weather also affected over 1,200 houses, causing damage of 3 billion VND.
The provinces’ authorities are delivering aid to local residents.-VNA
