Police officers in the southern province of Ga Lai help residents repair roofs wrecked by Storm Kalmaegi. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has requested that new housing and resettlement be provided for households whose homes were swept away, completely collapsed or severely damaged by floods in the central region before January 31, 2026, according to his recently signed urgent dispatch.

Central localities from Hà Tĩnh to Đắk Lắk endured back-to-back storms and flooding in late October and early November, with historic prolonged deluges in Huế and Đà Nẵng triggered by storms Fengshen and Kalmaegi inflicting heavy casualties and damage to homes, schools, infrastructure, production and trade, especially aquaculture.

Preliminary data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment showed that disasters across the region left 90 dead and missing, 273 injured; 1,900 houses collapsed or swept away, 227,847 others damaged or unroofed, 160,715ha of rice and crops ruined, 3,570 livestock and 452,098 poultry dead, 684 boats sunk or damaged, 63,328 aquaculture cages destroyed, 161km of canals impaired, 64.9km of riverbanks and coastlines eroded, and 253km of roads damaged. The total estimated losses exceed US$1.04 billion.  

The PM earlier approved approximately VNĐ1,465 billion ($56 million) in aid to seven provinces and cities for immediate recovery, while the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee allocated VNĐ206 billion ($8 million) to affected areas.

In the dispatch, Party Secretaries and chairpersons of the People’s Committees of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Trị, Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Ngãi, Gia Lai and Đắk Lắk were urged to visit and offer support to affected families, especially those with dead, missing or injured relatives, by November 15.

Temporary housing for displaced residents and emergency repairs to unroofed or damaged homes must be finished by November 20.

Authorities must provide food and essentials for households at risk of hunger, ensuring no shortages of food, clothing or clean water. The army, police, youth and women’s unions, self-defence militia and students are to be fully deployed to help clean and restore homes, roads, schools, clinics, offices and factories, enabling swift return to normal living, education, health care, production and trade, especially exports, by November 20.

Critical infrastructure, including power, water, telecoms, roads, irrigation and dams, must be restored by November 20.

All disaster damage must be fully documented and verified, with local budgets and legal funds raised for regulated relief, by the same date.

Additional tasks were also assigned to relevant ministers, the Governor of the State Bank, the VFF Central Committee, the Government Office, and the mass media. — VNA