Central Vietnam provinces batten hatches as more floods, landslides threaten

By Nguyen Hai, Duc Hung October 30, 2020 | 11:29 pm PT

With more floods appearing imminent and possible landslides, people in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces have moved their belongings to safety and stockpiled essential items.

Soldiers take woman to safety on Friday as flood waters were rising fast at her neighborhood in Vinh Town of Nghe An Province. More than 50 families, including hers, have been taken to shelter within Friday. The reasons for the floods have been explained as continuous heavy rains in recent days following impacts of Storm Molave, which made landfall in the central region on Wednesday morning and became the biggest storm to hit Vietnam in 20 years, along with the discharge of water from hydropower projects. In the past three days, Nghe An has been hit by rains of up to 805 mm. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy.

Soldiers take a woman to safety on Friday as floodwaters rose rapidly in her neighborhood in Vinh Town in Nghe An Province, north central Vienam. More than 50 families, including hers, were moved to shelters by Friday.
It has been raining non-stop since Storm Molave, the biggest to hit Vietnam in 20 years, made landfall in the central region on Wednesday morning, and swollen hydropower dams have been discharging water.
In the last three days Nghe An has received up to 805 mm. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy.

A girl is brought out of flooded residential area in Vinh Town as soldiers take residents to shelter.

A little girl is rescued from a flooded residential area in Vinh by soldiers.

Authorities in remote Chau Khe Commune in Con Cuong District evacuate 17 families with 68 members away Friday morning after a long crack appeared along a mountain range near their homes following heavy rains

Authorities in remote Chau Khe Commune in Con Cuong District evacuated 68 people on Friday morning after a long crack appeared on a mountainside nearby.

Owner of an auto salon in Vinh Town has sent the vehicles to a high area to escape the floods.

Owner of an auto salon in Vinh has sent the vehicles to a high area to escape the floods.

Functional forces help a family in Quang Son Commune of Do Luong District prop up a washing machine.

Rescue forces help a family in Quang Son Commune, Do Luong District, hoist a washing machine to safety

A man rows a boat pass a school in Nghe An’s Thanh Chuong District. Many residential areas of the provinces have been submerged up to two meters under water by Friday.

A man rows a boat past a school in Nghe An’s Thanh Chuong District. Many residential areas in the province were under two meters under water as of Friday.

In Ha Tinh Province, functional forces have rushed to evacuate patients at Ha Tinh General Hospital to safety after the Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in front of the hospital is submerged by 0.5-1 meters on Friday.

In neighboring Ha Tinh, rescuers scrambled to evacuate patients from the Ha Tinh General Hospital after Hai Thuong Lan Ong Street in front of the hospital was submerged under up to a meter of water on Friday.

Despite heavy rains, many try to buy as much food as possible for stockpiling in case the flooding last for days.At 10 a.m. on Friday, rainfall was measured at 300 mm in Ha Tinh Town.

People are buying as much food as possible to stockpile in case the floods do not recede soon.

Farmers in Tan Lam Huong Commune of Thach Ha District bring their cattle to a government office to escape the floods.During the floods earlier this month, our family had lost 1.5 tons of rice and the buffalo is our most valuable asset left, says Dang Huu Nguyen, 71.

Farmers in Tan Lam Huong Commune in Thach Ha District bring their cattle to a government office for safety.
"During the floods earlier this month, our family lost 1.5 tons of rice and the buffalo is the most valuable asset we have left," Dang Huu Nguyen, 71, says.

Residents in Bac Ha Ward of Ha Tinh Town prepare an inflatable boat in case of emergency.

Residents of Bac Ha Ward in Ha Tinh Town, the province's capital of the same name, haul an inflatable boat in case of emergency.

Staff at an office of Vietcombank in Ha Tinh Town have placed tens of sand bags at the office’s front door to prevent flood waters.Before Molave, the central region had already hit by prolonged heavy rains, historic flooding and deadly landslides for three weeks from October 6.At least 230 people have died during floods and landslides triggered by storms and heavy rains in central Vietnam this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting Friday.

Vietcombank staff in Ha Tinh Town have placed sand bags at the front door to keep out the floodwaters.
Even before Molave came, the central region had suffered from prolonged heavy rains, historic flooding and deadly landslides for three weeks since October 6.
At least 230 people have died due to floods and landslides in the region this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting Friday.