Northern provinces clean up after heavy rain, whirlwind

Authorised agencies in the northern mountainous provinces of Bac Kan, Lao Cai and Tuyen Quang have assessed the damage and set up supports to remedy the damages of recent hail and whirlwind.
Authorised agencies in the northern mountainous provinces of Bac Kan,Lao Cai and Tuyen Quang have assessed the damage and set up supports toremedy the damages of recent hail and whirlwind.

The move aims to help local people stabilise their daily life and return to production work.

Hail and whirlwind were a part of the Apr.20’s midnight storm thatdestroyed over 2,200 houses and a number of crop areas in the districtsof Bao Yen and Bao Thang, with an estimated damage of billions of dongin Lao Cai province.

In an effort to remedy theaftermath, authorities of the two districts provided thousands of sq.metres of roofing shingles to help local people rebuild their houses, aswell as seed to re-cultivate their crops.

The hail andwhirlwinds injured three people and collapsed more than 2,100 houses inBac Kan province, said Trieu Van Thanh, deputy head of theprovincial Irrigation and Flood and Storm Prevention Division.

The size of the hail was 0.5-3cm, with the storm occurring within 4-7 minutes, Thanh said.

According to the division, the initial damage caused by the hail andwhirlwind was estimated at 24 billion VND (1.1 million USD).

In Na Ri district, around 540 ha of rice, maize and crop were reported to be damaged.

In Tuyen Quang province's Tuyen Quang City , the storm destroyeda local house, killing a 59-year-old woman, a 22-year-old girl andinjuring a six-year-old child, all members of Dao-ethnic family.

Local authorities have provided 14 millionVND (673USD) as support to the victims' family.-VNA

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