HÀ NỘI — The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyễn Xuân Cường, has called on domestic and international organisations and individuals to continue their support for people hit by the recent Typhoon Damrey.

Speaking at a ceremony on Thursday to call for support, Cường said the typhoon, which swept through south central and central provinces early last month, caused damage of nearly US$1 billion.

Cường expressed gratitude for the support of organisations and individuals who had helped those affected  by the strongest storm in at least a decade.

Trần Quang Hoài, director of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said the typhoon affected over 4.3 million people, leaving 123 dead or missing and 342 injured.

“Over 300,000 houses were damaged, of which about 3,500 were totally demolished. In Khánh Hoà Province alone, 114,000 houses were partly or wholly destroyed,” Hoài said.

“Heavy rainfall and floods in the following weeks caused great losses, particularly in Quảng Nam Province.”

The typhoon came as the central region reeled from the aftermath of a series of natural disasters, including historical droughts from late 2014 to mid-2016, five serious floods from October-December 2016 and Typhoon Doksuri in September 2017.

The natural disasters, one after the other, forced much reconstruction to start again.

Kamal Malhotra, United Nations Resident Co-ordinator to Việt Nam, said the UN would support Việt Nam in meeting needs such as food, safety, temporary shelters, clean water and sanitation.

The UN would also focus on helping women, farmers and fishermen stabilise their lives and restore their means of living.

The European Commission said in a press release on Wednesday that it was providing 200,000 euros (US$236,700) for communities most affected by Typhoon Damrey.

The EC said the humanitarian aid was responding to the urgent needs of more than 10,000 people in the provinces of Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, and Khánh Hòa.

This EU-funding supports the Vietnamese Red Cross Society (VNRC) in delivering much-needed assistance through the distribution of tarpaulins, shelter tool kits, household kits, and water purification tablets.

In addition, cash grants are being provided to ensure the most vulnerable families can meet their basic needs.

As outbreaks of water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever and typhoid are common following flooding, disease prevention activities are also being conducted. — VNS