HANOI: Torrential rains over the weekend have wreaked havoc across northern mountainous provinces, causing landslides, flooding and significant property damage.
At least one person was killed in a landslide in Ba Be District, Bac Kan Province, while another was injured in Thai Nguyen Province.
More than 400 houses in Thai Nguyen, Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang and Phu Tho provinces have been inundated.
While floodwaters have begun to recede in Bac Kan, Tuyen Quang and Phu Tho, large parts of Thai Nguyen, one of the hardest-hit areas, remain submerged.
Around 200 households are still in need of evacuation.
The water level of the Cau River in Thai Nguyen City peaked at 2,743 cm at midnight on Saturday (June 21), surpassing Level 3 warning (2,700 cm) by 43 cm. The water is currently receding slowly.
Nguyen Van Bac, deputy chief of the Standing Office of the provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, said localities had been implementing coordinated disaster response and dyke protection plans.
Police, militia and commune-level disaster response teams had been deployed to set up warning checkpoints at heavily flooded roads and to divert traffic to ensure the safety of residents and vehicles, he said.
Heavy rain is expected to continue in the northern mountainous region.
Between 7am Saturday and 7am Sunday, rainfall ranging from moderate to heavy was recorded in several areas: Dao San (Lai Chau) 110.6 mm; Phieng Khoai 2 (Dien Bien) 110.6 mm; Kim Sơn 2 (Hoa Bình) 274.8 mm; Bao Ha 1 (Lao Cai) 93.6 mm; and Yen The (Yen Bai) 106 mm.
Soil moisture models show that in several parts of these provinces, the ground is either nearly saturated (over 85 per cent) or fully saturated, increasing the risk of further landslides and flooding.
There remains a high risk of flash floods in small rivers and streams, as well as landslides on steep slopes across 14 northern provinces.
Authorities of those localities have been urged to stay vigilant and continue implementing preventive measures, particularly in high-risk districts, to mitigate potential flash floods and landslides. - Vietnam News/ANN
