Cẩm Duệ Commune, Cẩm Xuyên District in Hà Tĩnh Province is flooded due to rain from Saturday night to early Sunday morning. — VNA/VNS Photo Hữu Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Heavy rain over the past three days has caused severe losses in northern and central provinces.

Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Tuyên Quang, Cao Bằng and Bắc Kạn provinces recorded an average rainfall of 106mm in Cẩm Giàng District, 104mm in Lục Bình District, 89mm in Linh Phù District and 82mm in Thịnh Hưng District.

A lightning strike during heavy rain on Saturday injured one person in Cao Bằng Province and 28 houses were damaged in Tuyên Quang, Lào Cai, Cao Bằng and Bắc Kạn.

Floods damaged nearly 200ha of rice, killed six cattle and 96 poultry in those provinces.

It also caused landslides affecting 56 traffic routes in Lào Cai, Yên Bái and Tuyên Quang.

A temporary bridge in Y Tý Commune, Bát Xát District, Lào Cai Province, was washed away.

According to the Yên Bái Province Department of Agriculture and Environment, the floods damaged more than 3ha of rice in Yên Bình and Văn Yên districts.

In Yên Bái City, three landslides were recorded in Nguyễn Thái Học and Yên Thịnh wards.

The estimated damage was about VNĐ300 million (US$11,500).

The provincial people's committee issued an urgent dispatch on proactively responding to heavy rains, landslides, flash floods and inundation.

The committee requested localities to be on duty all day, closely monitor the situation to effectively deploy measures, ensure people’s safety and reduce property damage.

At the same time, units must proactively arrange forces and means to evacuate people from dangerous areas that are at high risk of landslides and flash floods.

Tuyên Quang Province experienced rainfall of between 128-255mm.

Heavy rain damaged eight houses in Lâm Bình, Na Hang districts and Tuyên Quang City.

At the same time, more than 80ha of rice and vegetables were destroyed and many fish ponds overflowed.

Different sections along the National Highways 2C, 279 and 2 were flooded. Mud covered the road surface, causing obstacles for vehicles.

Losses were estimated at over VNĐ1.2 billion ($46,200).

Central provinces

A downpour in the early hours on Sunday submerged a number of places in Hà Tĩnh central province.

As this is harvest time, the floods have caused severe damage to farms.

In Cẩm Xuyên District, heavy rains caused floodwaters on rivers to rise rapidly, inundating several communes, especially those located below Kẻ Gỗ Lake, such as Cẩm Mỹ, Cẩm Duệ and Cẩm Thành.

Local authorities assigned forces to assist people in evacuating the elderly and children.

Võ Tá Kỷ, Chairman of the Cẩm Duệ Commune People's Committee, said that the flood affected about seven villages, of which two were deeply flooded, with about 150 households and more than 400 people.

In Cẩm Mỹ Commune, the flood submerged almost the entire area.

About 450 households were affected by flash floods. Water entered houses from 0.5-1m, and in some places, the water was 1.5m deep.

Trần Đức Thịnh, Chief of the Office of the Hà Tĩnh Province Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said that the unit was closely monitoring the flood developments, especially water levels in dams and large rivers, to have timely instructions.

The top priority now is to ensure the safety of people, especially in low-lying areas at risk of landslides.

The unit has requested localities to urgently review and prepare response plans in case of worsening weather conditions.

In Nghệ An Province, in many mountainous districts, prolonged heavy rains caused flooding, affecting crops and rice that are being harvested.

Flood and upstream water caused the water levels in hydroelectric dams to rise.

Lương Văn Tuấn, Secretary of the Lục Dạ Commune Party Committee, said that the unit was reviewing and calculating losses caused by heavy rains.

The provincial authorities asked concerned organisations to closely monitor the situation and promptly implement measures. — VNS