In Yên Bái City nearly 8,000 houses have been submerged. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — Localities in northern region are continuing to work hard to overcome the consequences of typhoon Yagi – the third one this year - helping people get back to normal life as quickly as possible.

Water levels on the Hồng (Red) River in flooded communes of Trấn Yên District, Yên Bái Province have fallen significantly compared to Tuesday, but are still high, at 33.2 metres, which is 1.2 metres above alert level three.

Thousands of houses are still submerged and communities isolated.

Cổ Phúc township and Nga Quán, Báo Đáp, Đào Thịnh, Việt Thành, Quy Mông and Y Can communes are all particularly badly flooded and are only accessible by boat.

The rescue efforts are being hampered by many difficulties.

Many communes in Trấn Yên District have no electricity and so communication is impaired and families have nowhere to go for supplies.

The district has called for all forces to go to different locations to rescue people and to carry instant noodles, drinking water and other essential necessities.

Chairman of the district People’s Committee Trần Ngọc Thư said that the district has temporarily moved as many people as possible to higher ground in the district.

So far it has moved over 4,200 households to safety.

On Wednesday, the provincial Military Command assigned all of its troops to support Trấn Yên District.

No one should be hungry, cold or homeless

From 7am on Tuesday to 4pm on Wednesday the rainfall in Hà Nội ranged from 50mm to over 100mm.

Some places with the highest levels included Hoài Đức with 144mm, Quốc Oai 122.8mm and Thượng Cát 117mm.

To ensure people's safety, the authorities have moved about 27,980 people in areas affected by the typhoon to safer areas.

At the same time, Hà Nội has operated the sluice gates of regulating lakes such as Đống Đa, Bảy Mẫu and Đầm Chuối and the main pump stations of Yên Sở and Cổ Nhuế. The capital city also operated 190 drainage pump stations with 586 pumps.

Chairman of the Hà Nội People's Committee Trần Sỹ Thanh on Wednesday requested heads of departments and chairmen of districts people's committees, with the most urgent spirit, to focus on search and rescue and offer free treatment for anyone injured.

He said they must organise timely visits and encouragement, bring food and necessities for households at risk of hunger, especially the ones in isolated areas.

If any households have lost their homes they need to be given temporary accommodation and no one should be left hungry, cold or have no place to live.

Notably, Thanh also requested the Department of Health to direct the treatment of injured people, to promptly provide medicine, ensure medical examination and treatment for people in areas affected by the typhoon.

It should guide people to treat domestic water, treat the environment and prevent any disease outbreaks.

The Department of Education and Training is responsible for cleaning schools and classrooms, repairing damaged facilities. It has called for support for teaching equipment, books and learning materials for damaged schools, so classrooms are ready for students to return to normal schooling soon.

In Hải Phòng port city, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Tùng has asked district leaders to regularly monitor and update the flood situations, promptly inform organisations and people to proactively take preventive measures and ensure safety.

Localities must organise inspections, review and implement dike protection, have plans to defend key vulnerable points, and be ready to respond to all situations.

They should prepare ways to evacuate people, move assets to safe places when necessary, ensure adequate accommodation, food, drinking water and medicine for people, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Clean water shortage

According to the Bắc Kạn Province Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, by 11am on Wednesday, over 1,700 houses had been damaged.

As many as 295 houses in Nam Cường Commune in Chợ Đồn District and Nam Mẫu Commune in Ba Bể District have been submerged.

Damage is caused to over 1,900ha of agriculture, forestry and fishery. Hundreds of buffaloes, chickens, ducks and pigs have perished, either drowned or swept away by water.

Regarding traffic, nine locations on national highways were hit by landslides with about 2,690sq.m of soil and rock.

In Hải Dương Province, due to flooding in the Hải Tân Bus Station, the Department of Transport temporarily suspended the operation of the bus station from Wednesday noon and changed the routes for some bus coach routes.

Vĩnh Phúc Province also faced many obstacles while floodwaters on the Hồng, Lô and Phó Đáy rivers have risen.

Many clean water supply stations in the province have been damaged or temporarily shut down due to flooded machinery and equipment, so people in many localities are facing a lack of clean water.

Take people to safety

Armed forces in Hưng Yên Province evacuate people of Phú Cường Commune, Hưng Yên City to safe areas. — VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Văn Nhiều

According to the Hưng Yên Province Military Command, by Thursday morning, soldiers and militia forces used vehicles such as canoes and motorboats to weave through alleys and bring over 12,000 people to safe zones.

Units assigned more than 400 soldiers and more than 3,000 militiamen to coordinate with localities to evacuate people, property and livestock to shelters.

The provincial Military Command organised an inspection team to closely monitor the development of rain and water levels on rivers and proactively prepare forces, vehicles and equipment for search and rescue.

In particular, the province focuses on protecting key dikes, embankments, vulnerable locations and areas at risk of landslides.

The Military Region 3 on Wednesday delivered two tonnes of rice to Hưng Yên Province. — VNS