Vietnam, Effects of Tropical Storm Son-Tinh

Update 29 Jul 2018 = HANOI • Flash floods and landslides have killed 15 people in Vietnam‘ mountainous north, officials said, after storms ravaged homes and wiped out crops and infrastructure. At least 12 people were still missing yesterday after the weekend floods, and hundreds of police and soldiers have been deployed to help clean-up efforts. Vietnam is frequently lashed by harsh weather in the rainy season between June and November. The latest storm hit several northern provinces, littering the area with piles of rubble and trees as residents scrambled to clean up their destroyed homes. "Three died when their houses collapsed in Ha Giang province, while 12 others were swept away by flash floods, landslides and collapsed houses in Lai Chau province," the national committee on disaster control said yesterday. It said the storm caused US$6.1 million (S$8.3 million) in damage in the region. One fish farmer said that she lost everything when floods swept through her property and destroyed her pond worth some US$300,000. "We are now deep in debt. All our fish were lost in the flash floods. We don‘t know what to do now," Ms Do Thi Huong told AFP from Lai Chau province. Several remote communities were still cut off yesterday after rocks and mud blocked roads in the area. This is the first major weather incident of the year for Vietnam, which is still reeling after a deadly series of disasters last year. Natural disasters killed 389 people and caused US$2.6 billion in damage last year, according to official statistics. ----------------- Due to the impact of the low pressure and special effects of the storm No. 3, the past few days in the North Central and Northern provinces have been very heavy rain, causing flooding in many localities. Particularly in Thanh Hoa, Yen Bai province, floods, flash floods and landslides caused serious damage. As reported by the Central Steering Committee on PCTT, up to 6:00 pm on July 21, 10 people died (Yen Bai: 08 people, Thanh Hoa: 02 people); 11 people are missing (Yen Bai: 09 people, Thanh Hoa: 2 people); 14 people were injured (Yen Bai: 09 people, Son La: 01 people, Thanh Hoa: 03 people, Nghe An: 01 people). On the morning of July 21, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development - Standing Deputy Chairman of the Central Steering Committee and PCF Hoang Van Thang and the delegation went to inspect and direct the work of carving, responding and overcoming the situation. Flooding in Phu Tho. Earlier on the afternoon of July 20, Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang and his delegation went to inspect and direct the response and remediation of flash floods and landslides in Van Chan, Yen Bai.