Efforts to overcome and support people after storm No. 5

Destroyed after the storm

As of the end of the afternoon of August 26, storm No. 5 had caused serious damage in Thanh Hoa. Information from the Standing Office of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention said that many communes such as Xuan Chinh, Van Xuan, Tan Thanh were completely isolated, thousands of households were cut off and had long power outages.

In the area, the whole province had 37 houses with their roofs blown off and damaged; nearly 2,000 houses were flooded below 1m, mainly in Nghi Son and Nong Cong towns. Some educational institutions were also severely damaged: Thieu Duong Primary School was flooded, Nam Xuan Kindergarten had its roof blown off, and 33m of fence of another school collapsed.

In agricultural production, 529.4 hectares of rice were flooded and broken; more than 22 hectares of crops and 111 hectares of annual crops were damaged; 55 hectares of aquaculture ponds were overflowed, 241 urban trees were broken. The power system was severely damaged.

In Nghe An, storm No. 5 caused heavy rain and strong winds on the night of August 25, causing many areas to be flooded and have widespread power outages. By 7:45 p.m. the same day, many wards and communes in Vinh City (old) had completely lost power.

A series of trees, signs, and corrugated iron roofs were knocked down by the wind, crushing electric poles, cars, and civil works. On Nguyen Sy Sach Street (Thanh Vinh Ward), many large trees were uprooted and crushed cars parked on the roadside. Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital and the headquarters of the Provincial Federation of Labor were also severely damaged after the storm.

After the storm, the entire Vinh City and many other urban areas in the North Central region were in disarray. Trees fell all over the streets, corrugated iron roofs flew all over, and advertising signs collapsed. Traffic was paralyzed, many inner-city and inter-commune roads were blocked.

Preliminary statistics show that Nghe An province has 91 damaged houses, many houses with blown-off roofs; 9 classrooms of 2 schools and 1 medical facility with blown-off roofs. It has been recorded that 1 person died due to electric shock while repairing the roof to prevent the storm, and 2 others were injured.

Ha Tinh is one of the localities most severely affected. According to the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, storm No. 5 killed 1 person (Kim Hoa commune, fell while repairing the roof), injured 4 people (Mai Phu 2, Hoanh Son 1, Kim Hoa 1).

The whole province had 621 houses with unroofed roofs, 144 houses were flooded; a series of schools and educational institutions were damaged. In addition, 6 hectares of shrimp farming and 8.2 hectares of salt in Hai Ninh ward were severely damaged. By the morning of August 26, 64/69 communes and wards in the province had completely lost power, with an estimated damage to the electricity industry of about 8 billion VND.

Quang Tri is also greatly affected after storm No. 5. The storm injured 5 people while tying up houses and moving fallen trees. The whole province had 3 houses with unroofed roofs, many traffic works, and landslides.

After storm No. 5 passed, heavy rain will continue to fall on the North Central provinces, especially Thanh Hoa and Nghe An. From the morning of August 26, floodwaters on many rivers and streams rose rapidly, causing many mountainous villages to be isolated.

In Son Dien commune, Thanh Hoa and many other mountainous communes, floodwater from rivers and streams has been pouring in since the morning of August 26, rising rapidly every minute, forming a large waterfall. The road from National Highway 217 to Tua village was submerged in water, many villages were completely isolated. In Nghe An and Ha Tinh, many inter-commune roads are also deeply flooded, making travel difficult. The government must erect signs and mobilize control forces not to let people go to rivers and streams to pick up firewood or fish.

Efforts to overcome and support people

In Ha Tinh, Huong Khe Commune Police supported the elderly with broken legs and brought many underlying diseases to the emergency room in time. In Nghe An, authorities and people worked all night to clear trees and clear the streets. In Quang Tri, border guards overcame floods to supply instant noodles, rice, and dry food to people.

Ha Tinh police worked all night to remedy the consequences, clearing fallen trees on the railway in Phuc Trach commune in just 20 minutes, promptly letting the train run. The police, military and militia forces also supported the elderly, anchored to evacuate alone, and helped people harvest flower crops.

Mr. Le Hong Vinh - Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee - said: "Currently, the number one priority is the safety of people's lives, while focusing on restoring traffic, communications and electricity".

Nghe An and Ha Tinh Labor Federations also urgently reviewed and grasped the situation of union members and workers who suffered losses.Hundreds of union members' families with deep flooding and roofs blown off have been listed for emergency support.
At this time, sharing is extremely necessary.We will stand side by side with union members and workers so that they are not left behind" - Mr. Ngo Dinh Van, Vice President of Ha Tinh Labor Federation emphasized.