Viet Nam calls for international support for post-disaster recovery
VGP - Viet Nam is calling on the international community to support its efforts in overcoming the consequences of recent natural disasters, which are estimated to have reduced the country’s GDP by 0.2 percent.
Many houses remain flooded due to consequences of Typhoon Matmo
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment held a meeting on October 10 to update information about the severe storms and floods that have hit Viet Nam this year.
The meeting was attended by members of the Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership and representatives from more than 20 international organizations and embassies.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep reported that since the beginning of this year, the Southeast Asian nation has experienced 20 types of natural disasters, including 11 storms (six of which directly hit the mainland) and four tropical depressions, leading to 238 deaths and nearly 400 injuries.
Hundreds of thousands of homes have collapsed; vast areas of farmland have been washed away; and thousands of roads have been eroded or cut off. Public facilities, particularly schools, clinics, and administrative offices, have suffered heavy damage.
The preliminary data show natural disasters cost Viet Nam about VND35 trillion (approximately US$1.3 billion), equivalent to 0.2 percent of the nation's GDP, 50 percent higher in both economic losses and casualties compared to the previous year, he shared.
He called on international partners to assist in delivering relief goods to affected residents, adding that essential items include drinking water, food, bottled water, and water filtration equipment.
Rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods are also critical, as nearly everything has been washed away, he added.
Last year, following Typhoon Yagi, foreign partners provided about US$25 million in aid and thousands of tons of relief supplies to Viet Nam.
Currently, northern Viet Nam is reeling from the aftermath of Typhoon Matmo. As of this morning, the storm has left 10 dead and five missing, mostly due to flash floods.
At the peak of flooding, nearly 223,000 houses were submerged, including 200,000 in Thai Nguyen, over 11,000 in Bac Ninh, nearly 7,300 in Cao Bang, and 3,000 in Lang Son.
As of this morning, about 84,000 houses remain flooded, mainly in Thai Nguyen (70,000) and Bac Ninh (11,000).
Flooding has also submerged or destroyed about 30,000 hectares of rice and crops, killed or swept away 2,280 livestock and 357,000 poultry, and disrupted transportation.
Approximately 217,000 households are still without electricity./.
