Bad weather conditions wreak havoc on many localities

Downpours, gales, whirlwinds, and lightning have wreaked havoc on many localities from May 19 - 21, including four deaths.

As of 5pm on May 21, four were killed by lightning, comprising two in central Thanh Hoa province, one in northern Thai Binh province, and another in the Mekong Delta province of Long An.

Gales and whirlwinds unroofed 19 houses in Nghi Son township and the districts of Ba Thuoc, Quan Hoa, and Nong Cong while devastating more than 900ha of crops in Thanh Hoa province.

In the south-central province of Binh Thuan, heavy rains during May 20 night and early May 21 triggered a flood of sand and mud from a nearby hill onto Huynh Thuc Khang and Nguyen Dinh Chieu roads in Phan Thiet city, burying a large number of motorbikes and cars, a restaurant, and a house.

Incessant rains at the same time also inundated Giao Long Industrial Park in Chau Thanh district in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, subsequently leading to traffic congestion in front of the zone.

In Ho Chi Minh City, downpours for hours on late May 20 also seriously flooded many streets like Kha Van Can, To Ngoc Van, Quoc Huong, Le Van Viet, Duong Dinh Hoi, and Tay Hoa, forcing local residents to wade through floodwater during the rush hour.

To respond to such situations in the time ahead, the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control asked provinces and cities nationwide to stay updated with disaster forecasts and warnings to ready response plans. Those in the Mekong Delta were also told to take proactive moves to cope with saltwater intrusion.

Localities were requested to regularly send reports to the National Steering Committee’s Standing Office and the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response, Search and Rescue.