Natural disasters cause multi-million USD damage to northern mountainous region
Natural disasters have cost Vietnam’s northern mountainous areas about 610 billion VND (26.3 million USD) so far this year, compared to 753 billion VND last year.
A landslide triggered by torrential rains on a road in Trinh Tuong commune of Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, in early July (Photo: VNA)
Lao Cai (VNA) - Natural disasters have cost Vietnam’s northernmountainous areas about 610 billion VND (26.3 million USD) so far this year, comparedto 753 billion VND last year.
The figures were released at a conference on the region’s natural disasterprevention and control efforts, held in the northern province of Lao Cai onJuly 13 and gathering leaders from 13 provinces together with 248 delegates.
There were 92 whirlwinds, hail storms, and heavy downpours; two flash floodsthat triggered landslides; and 12 earthquakes. Nineteen people had died as ofJuly 9, with 79 others injured, 53,633 houses ruined, and 10,009 ha of rice andvegetables damaged.
Deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural DisasterPrevention and Control Tran Quang Hoai highlighted difficulties in forecasting,emergency alerts, and monitoring work in the region, saying infrastructure isoutdated.
He also pointed to shortcomings in the management of small reservoirsand a lack of professional equipment to access disaster-hit areas and servesearch and rescue efforts.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuongrequested that committees for natural disasters prevention and control as wellas search and rescue at different levels deploy teams to examine the safety ofhouses in high-risk locations, inspect reservoirs, and install rain and flowmonitoring devices, among other tasks.
He asked local provinces to prioritise budgets for disaster response,particularly in communications, capacity enhancement, and planning./.
Recent heavy rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and lighting in 10 northern provinces have caused an estimated economic loss of 83.5 billion VND (over 3.6 million USD).
Natural disasters had claimed 15 lives and caused economic losses of more than 3.2 trillion VND (over 1.38 billion USD) this year to May 8, it was reported at a conference on May 19.
The heatwave scorching northern Vietnam since earlier this month is expected to linger until June 13 and may become the longest to have hit the region in 27 years.
The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has asked ministries, sectors and local governments to prepare for flooding as a result of heavy downpours in the northern region in the coming days.
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Vietnam's economic losses from natural disasters are estimated to account for 1 to 1.5% of GDP annually - a steep price that will continue to rise unless the country takes strong action.
Wutip, the first storm in the East Sea so far this year, has wreaked havoc across central Vietnam, claiming lives, displacing residents, and causing widespread damage to houses, crops, and infrastructure, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control reported as of 6:30 pm on June 13.
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Addressing a session on “Accelerating Financing for Resilience: Tailored Solutions for Disaster Risk Reduction,” Deputy Minister Hiep emphasised Vietnam's proposal in building sustainable financing in response to natural disasters, which aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction's goals.
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According to Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment Le Huu Toan, a fire prevention and control plan has been in place since the dry season began, including round-the-clock patrols and rapid-response teams to snuff out fires before they could spread.
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A landslide triggered by torrential rains on a road in Trinh Tuong commune of Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, in early July (Photo: VNA) 
