(VOVWORLD) - For nearly a week, central Vietnam has been battered by widespread, torrential rainfall and exceptionally severe flooding. Combined with high tides, the downpours have caused severe inundation and landslides, resulting in significant loss of life and property in Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, and Khanh Hoa province. The Government, local authorities, and emergency forces are deploying all available personnel and equipment to minimize casualties.
 All resources are mobilized to save lives amid severe flooding (Photo: qdnd.vn) |
As of 6:30 a.m. today, more than 50 people have been reported dead or missing in Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Lam Dong. More than 68,000 houses are submerged, multiple residential areas remain isolated by fast-moving floodwaters, and agricultural production and infrastructure have been seriously damaged.
Armed forces have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas. The Ministry of National Defense has prepared helicopter landing sites for rescue missions.
Major General Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Commander of Military Zone 5, said: "We have deployed helicopters to airlift relief supplies to severely flooded areas where residents remain stranded and urgently need food."
In Khanh Hoa province, 54 communes and wards have reported dangerous, fast-flowing floodwaters that are making rescue operations extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, dozens of rescue boats, canoes, and high-clearance trucks continue to push through strong currents to reach isolated communities.
Province Chairman Tran Phong has ordered the deployment of all rescue vehicles and use emergency funds to purchase essential supplies.
Phong said: "The Department of Industry and Trade has mobilized stocks of food and drinking water. Mobile rescue teams are simultaneously evacuating residents and delivering essential goods. Additional flotation devices and rafts are being deployed to move people to safe areas."
In Dak Lak province, more than 39,000 homes have been flooded and 11,600 households remain isolated, with many communes still under deep water. Emergency teams have evacuated nearly 10,000 people and rescued more than 500 from life-threatening conditions.
Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thien Van said: "We’re making an all-out effort to help people on site. Locals are also helping one another, using small boats and round bamboo coracles to assist with evacuations."
Given the gravity of the situation, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has directed all forces to focus on saving lives and ensuring that residents have food, clean water, and warmth. He urged them to act “as quickly, forcefully, and resolutely as possible.”
This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh signed a directive to provide an emergency relief package of 26.5 million USD to Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, and Dak Lak province.