Heavy rains batter Vietnam's central coast, flood city streets

By Staff reporters   December 9, 2018 | 06:33 am PT
The central coast is experiencing heavy downpours and severe flooding, with Da Nang receiving the worst rainfall in history.

Experts say the downpours are triggered by the northeast monsoon in combination with strong winds.

Heavy rain hit hard on Vietnams central coast

People row boats to get around as Ham Nghi Street in Da Nang City got flooded. Major downtown streets like Le Duan, Hung Vuong and Nguyen Van Linh were also under 20-70 cm of water.

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Residents try to block street water from entering their homes.

The Central Meteorological and Hydrological Station stated that the onset of monsoon, combined with strong winds, have caused the heavy rain. 

The rainfall in Da Nang in the last 24 hours since 7 p.m. Saturday is about 635 mm, the heaviest since archives were first available in 1975. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy.

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The Dien Bien Phu - Nguyen Tri Phuong Tunnel in Da Nang was closed to traffic. At the end of the Hue Ba Be Crossing Bridge in Ton Duc Thang Street, the water was about 50 cm.

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Many cars are submerged at the parking area of an apartment building in Da Nang.

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People still drove through streets that were not too flooded.

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Some people busied themselves using bamboo traps to catch fish that escaped from flooded ponds and lakes.

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Local police officers were stationed at multiple street sections to direct vehicles, help them avoid potholes and heavily flooded areas.

Huynh Duc Tho, Chairman of the Danang People's Committee, directed the municipal drainage and sewage company to continue mobilizing resources and means to open main sewers and quickly drain the rainwater.

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A landslide triggered by the heavy rains blocked a railway track near Da Nang, stopping a train for more than seven hours. Five other trains heading to Da Nang Station had to be rerouted.

The Quang Nam - Da Nang railway joint stock company mobilized 70 workers and other resources to help improve the situation in landslide hit areas.

Trains had to be used from both ends of blocked areas to transport passengers.

Nguyen Van Ty, chairman of the railway company, said that the situation was brought under control around 3:00 p.m. The railway connecting northern and southern Vietnam is back to normal, he said.

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About two hours drive from Da Nang, the city of Tam Ky in Quang Nam Province also experienced heavy rain. A car is stranded in the middle of a flooded street after its engine broke down.

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At Tan Thanh Ward in Tam Ky, family members sit in front of their house.

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A landslide also damaged 100 meters of the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel embankment in Quang Tri Province. The management board of the citadel has restricted the area and listed it as unsafe for visitors.

It is forecast that the rain will last for the next three or four days.

Beside Da Nang and Quang Nam Province, the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri also experienced heavy rains. Two people have been reported dead so far.

 
 
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