Vietnamplus

The death toll from typhoon Rai in the Philippines has climbed to 208, making it one of the most destructive storms hitting the country in recent years.

A total of 508 billion VND (22.14 million USD) was lost due to natural disasters between January and June this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh asked localities to outline scenarios for natural disaster responses amid the COVID-19 pandemic at an online national conference on national disaster prevention and control, and research and rescue on June 4.

About 12-14 storms could hit the East Sea this year, with around half expected to directly affect Vietnam’s mainland, a meteorologist has said.

Storms and tropical depressions are likely to hit the northern region and the northern reaches of the central region during August and September, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has offered the central province of Quang Tri over 6.9 billion VND (over 300,000 USD) in non-refundable aid to help it handle the damage caused by consecutive storms and flooding in October last year.

Hanoi on December 8 presented 91 billion VND (3.9 million USD) to help 12 central and Central Highlands provinces overcome consequences of recent floods and storms.

Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man led a working delegation to visit and present gifts to people affected by recent storms and floods in the central province of Quang Binh on December 7.

The Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dipped fractionally below the 50.0 no-change mark to 49.9 last month, signalling broadly unchanged business conditions during the month.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided to provide additional 670 billion VND (29 million USD) from the central budget reserves for nine central and Central Highlands provinces to address consequences of recent storms and floods.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has assigned the Ministry of Finance to allocate more than 4,303 tonnes of rice from the national reserve for residents affected by recent storms and floods in three central provinces.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung called for drastic measures to minimise the damage set to be caused by Etau and Vamco, the 12th and 13th storms to hit the East Sea this year, at a meeting in Hanoi on November 10.

Ministries, sectors and localities must remain active in responding to storm Etau and subsequent storms, Tran Quang Hoai, deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, has said.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has extended his sympathies to Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong over the heavy property and human losses caused by recent storms and floods in Vietnam’s centre region.

In about a month, scientists will issue conclusions on the extent to which climate change has had a hand in the latest extreme weather phenomena hitting Vietnam.

Recent storms, including Nangka and Molave, caused major losses in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. The province’s Military Command has sent thousands of officers and soldiers to villages and communes to help people overcome the devastation the storms wrought.

Goni, the 10th storm to enter the East Sea this year, is dangerous both on the mainland and at sea, with vessels operating in the affected zones bearing high risks from gusts, said Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem.

Since late September, 235 people have been reported dead and missing by consecutive storms and floods, which have also caused an estimated economic loss of about 17 trillion VND (733.4 million USD).

October left devastation for millions of people in central Vietnam.

Goni, the 10th storm to reach the East Sea this year, is forecast to make landfall in the central region, which was hit by a number of devastating storms and floods in October.