Vietnam: Battering floods claim 19 lives; 13 are unaccounted for
Flash floods in Vietnam have now claimed at least 19 lives, as residents in affected areas sought safety in higher ground. The latest report from the country's disaster office said 19 people have been killed so far, with an additional 13 people unaccounted for. Tropical Vietnam is battered by floods and storms every year, with hundreds of lives lost from the annual monsoon barrage.
Vietnam witnessed its third tropical storm of the year
The remnants of Typhoon Son Tinh, now a tropical depression, made landfall Wednesday night, the third tropical storm to hit Vietnam this year.
Residents advised to seek higher ground for safety
Residents in Chuong My district on the outskirts of Vietnam's capital Hanoi were asked to leave their homes and get to higher ground for fear of heavy floods, Vietnam's VnExpress news site reported Saturday. "We must be active in moving our furniture out of homes. From last years' experience, we did not have time to run," a local resident in Choung My district said.
Over 15,000 houses damaged or destroyed
Published photos showed homeowners in plastic-raincoats moving bags of goods and livestock. "My house is in a very low location...I have to move all the rice to higher places," another Chuong My district resident said. "Since the afternoon, we have moved more than 1 ton of rice," he added. Over 15,000 houses were damaged or destroyed and more than 110,000 hectares of crops inundated.
Vietnam's death toll in stormy seasons often exceed its neighbors'
Vietnam's rainy season, like other countries in the region, is between June and November, but the death toll from stormy weather has often exceeded its neighbors'. Last year, 389 lives were claimed by natural disasters, with material damages reportedly reaching $2.6bn, according to the government.
