Vietnam: Flood Death Toll Rises to 90
Vietnam has reported at least 90 deaths due to the recent floods caused by torrential rains, according to an official update published on Sunday.
More than 60 of the 90 fatalities since November 16 were recorded in the mountainous province of Dak Lak in central Vietnam, where floodwaters have inundated tens of thousands of homes, the Ministry of Environment stated. The previous count reported on Saturday mentioned 55 victims, with an additional twelve people still missing.
The southern and central regions of the Southeast Asian country have experienced relentless rainfall since the end of October, leading to repeated flooding that has submerged both tourist destinations and historical sites.
Entire neighborhoods were submerged in the coastal city of Nha Trang last week, and landslides affected areas surrounding Da Lat, a popular tourist spot.
On Sunday, several sections of highways remained impassable due to flooding or landslides, according to the Ministry of Environment, which also noted that some railways were affected.
"More than a meter" of water
In the coastal city of Tuy Hoa, in the central province of Phu Yen, floodwaters receded on Sunday, but some hats, bags, and shoes sold by 40-year-old Vo Huu Du were still soaked or covered in mud. "My goods look like a huge wet mess," she told AFP.
In the past, setting up stalls five centimeters above ground was enough to protect against floods, but that is no longer the case. "Today, the water reached over a meter high" and "all vendors" are affected, "not just me," she observed.
More than 129,000 users remain without electricity due to power outages that previously affected up to a million people last week.
The Ministry estimated the economic losses from the floods in five provinces at around 300 million euros.
Over 80,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops have been damaged, while more than 3.2 million poultry and livestock have been killed or swept away by the floods.
According to the state media Tuoi Tre News, authorities have deployed helicopters to drop food supplies to isolated communities. On the ground, tens of thousands of agents are providing clothes, water purification tablets, instant noodles, and other provisions to the affected populations, the same source reported.
In the coastal province of Khanh Hoa, two suspension bridges were destroyed by the floods last week, isolating many households from the outside world, as reported by official media.
Repeated Extreme Weather Events
Vietnam typically experiences heavy rainfall between June and September, with scientists explaining that climate change caused by human activity is making extreme weather events more frequent, deadly, and destructive. For every additional degree, the atmosphere can hold 7% more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall, experts warn.
Between January and October, natural disasters resulted in 279 deaths or disappearances in Vietnam, causing more than 2 billion dollars (1.7 billion euros) in damages, according to official figures.
In early October, northern Vietnam was already hit by significant flooding following the passage of the deadly typhoons Bualoi and Matmo. Then, Typhoon Kalmaegi struck at the beginning of November, again resulting in casualties.
At the end of October, the city of Hue, a popular tourist destination known for its ancient imperial city, broke the national rainfall record set in 1999, recording up to 1.7 meters of rain in just 24 hours.
