Vietnam calls for more support to disaster-hit residents

Speaking on behalf of the Government at a ceremony hosted by the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control in Hanoi on December 14, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said the central region is the hardest-hit by natural disasters in recent years.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra promised to offer further support to flood victims in Vietnam, adding that governments of the Republic of Korea, Russia, New Zealand and the US have also committed an aid worth 7.3 million USD to ensure food security, water supply and environment hygiene in the affected region.

The UN, in coordination with humanitarian organisations, is making survey on the needs of central region residents in order to design suitable help.

Vietnam needs financial assistance from the UN humanitarian relief programme and international community to restore local livelihoods, he said, adding that the country needs to partner with other entities to launch disaster response plans apart from receiving support from the UN Children’s Fund, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

A representative of the survey mission stressed the need to provide urgent food relief and makeshift houses for affected families in the next six months, as well as strengthen joint work with private sector to diversify support activities and facilitate locals’ access to insurance.

Tran Quang Hoai, General Director of the Directorate for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said Vietnam has been hit by 14 storms and numerous landslides and floods since early 2017, which left 386 dead and missing and caused losses amounting to 60 trillion VND (2.6 billion USD).

In particular, storm Damrey and subsequent floods left serious impacts on the south central region, with 123 dead and missing. The region reported 3,550 collapsed houses and vast inundated areas of rice and vegetables along with destroyed transport and dyke works, with damage estimated at more than 22.6 trillion VND.

Around 700 tonnes of rice seeds, 4,400 tonnes of rice, 1 trillion VND and large amount of medicine have been promptly transferred to local people. Domestic and foreign organisations such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the UNDP, the Chinese, Russian and Kuwaiti governments and the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management offered relied in cash and kind to affected people