Fire at dawn storm
At dawn on September 7 - the day storm No. 3 (Yagi) made landfall, Mr. Pham Van Ha - Deputy CEO of 69 Investment and Development Company Limited - was shocked to receive the news that the factory storing 29 electric vehicles had caught fire.
Upon hearing the news, in the midst of the rain and wind, Mr. Ha and his company's staff still ran to the shack area. At 5:20 a.m., the fire broke out fiercely, making a part of the sky in Cat Ba island district bright.
"The explosions from the fire were like fireworks. We could only stand there helplessly," Ha recalled. According to Ha, his unit was entrusted with three places to keep the electric vehicles because they were worried about the storm, but man proposes, God disposes, and the storm's strong winds caused the metal roof to collapse onto the electric vehicles. The strong impact caused the battery to explode. The exact cause is still being determined by authorities.
Of those 29 electric cars, 13 belong to Mr. Hoang Xuan Hung - General Director of Hoang Hong Van Joint Stock Company.
Mr. Hung said that his unit operates in many fields in Do Son, Cat Ba such as transportation, restaurants, motels, aquaculture... Previously, he invested in a batch of electric cars for tourism and used them as collateral for a loan at Agribank.
After the super typhoon passed, not only were 13 electric cars burned down, but the remaining 13 electric cars of the unit in Do Son were also damaged by the storm; in addition, the restaurant, motel, aquaculture rafts... invested by the company were also severely damaged.
According to Mr. Hung, all of the company's assets are not insured. Only the batch of electric cars is insured by Agribank Insurance.
Mr. Hung said that the case of 13 vehicles that unfortunately caught fire on Cat Ba Island during storm No. 3 is being handled by Agribank Insurance to settle the payment. If everything goes as planned, Mr. Hung can receive the entire insurance amount for the above convoy.
Mr. Hung recalled that on September 12, Agribank Insurance staff went down to conduct a preliminary inspection at the fire site. At that time, the communication signal was completely lost, making it very difficult for us to contact each other.
On September 14-15, when the communication line was reconnected, relevant units immediately returned to inspect the damage scene in Do Son. The inspection took up to 3 days," said Mr. Hung.
Mr. Hung said that after completing the appraisal report, the insurance company paid his business an advance of 100 million VND in compensation so that the company could basically repair the damage after the storm.
He said: "Our business has a loan from Agribank with an outstanding debt of 2.3 billion VND. Thanks to the direction of the Prime Minister and the leaders of the State Bank, after the communication network was connected, the Agribank branch in Do Son has significantly reduced the loan interest rate for us. This is something I am extremely grateful for."
Join hands with people to overcome the consequences of storm number 3
Speaking to reporters, the leader of Agribank Do Son branch (Hai Phong) said that Mr. Hung needs to borrow more capital to rebuild after the storm, Agribank will be ready to support and create favorable conditions for him. However, Mr. Hung still does not have a specific plan for how much capital he wants to borrow.
Before storm No. 3 made landfall, following the direction of the State Bank, the bank proactively notified customers with outstanding debts and mortgaged assets at the bank to avoid risks.
“After the storm, we immediately went to check and inquire about customers who suffered damage. Up to now, we have basically supported and coordinated with Agribank Insurance to provide timely support to customers” - the leader of Agribank Do Son branch shared.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam - Deputy Director of Agribank Insurance Company, Hai Phong branch - said that the case of 13 cars unfortunately caught fire on Cat Ba island during storm No. 3 is being urgently carried out with necessary procedures to ensure timely resolution for customers. If everything goes as planned, Mr. Hung can receive the entire insurance amount for the above convoy.
Thirteen other electric cars in Do Son were damaged by rainwater, with an estimated repair cost of about 200 million VND. Agribank Insurance has advanced Mr. Hung's company 100 million VND.
"After storm No. 3 passed, we mobilized appraisal staff from provinces and cities, dividing them into teams to quickly review all customer damages.
We also hope that customers can recover soon after the storm and have the earliest compensation for customers" - Ms. Tam said.
