A tree on Nguyễn Văn Cừ Road in Cần Thơ City’s Ninh Kiều District fell over in heavy rains and strong winds on Sunday (July 25). – VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

HCM CITY – One person each in Cà Mau and Vĩnh Long provinces died in strong winds and heavy rains in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta in recent days as they flattened houses and trees and destroyed crops.

Lưu Nhuận, head of the Vĩnh Long Province Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said the roofs of 75 houses were flattened or blown off on Sunday, and one person in Tam Bình District’s Mỹ Thạnh Trung Commune dies as a result.

The total loss of property is estimated at VNĐ1.5 billion (US$65,000) in Tam Bình, Vũng Liêm and Trà Ôn districts and Bình Minh Town.

In Vũng Liêm District, many fruit trees and rice fields were damaged.

In Cần Thơ, the delta’s major city, 45 houses were damaged by the winds on Sunday while 21 large trees along roads were knocked over in Ninh Kiều District, according to the city Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue.

In Hậu Giang Province, eight houses in Châu Thành A District and Vị Thanh City were damaged as was a toilet at the Trường Long A1 Primary School in the former.

In Cà Mau Province, a whirlwind flattened two houses and blew off the roofs of four others in Thới Bình District on Saturday night, leaving one man dead and his three children slightly injured, according to the district People’s Committee.

A wall fell on him, crushing him to death.

In Kiên Giang Province, 38 houses were damaged in Giồng Riềng District on Thursday, leaving 15 people injured.

More than 4ha of fruits and 1.3ha of vegetables were also damaged.

Solving

Authorities in Cần Thơ and various provinces have taken measures to provide relief to affected people, including financial support for the families of the two people who died.

Nguyễn Quí Ninh, head of the Cần Thơ Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said local authorities have visited affected households and helped dismantle damaged houses to mitigate possible danger.

They are assessing the losses and would petition the city to provide financial support to affected households, he said.

Besides, they are checking trees along roads and cutting branches that are damaged might fall during the ongoing rainy season.

In Vĩnh Long, the natural disaster committees in affected localities have mobilised human resources to help affected households move to safe areas and provide temporary housing.

Authorities are estimating the damages suffered by households to provide support. – VNS