According to reports sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment by Cao Bang, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Dak Lak provinces, heavy rain and thunderstorms between May 15 and May 17 left one person in Dak Lak injured after a tree fell on them, caused one house to collapse in Dak Lak, and damaged or tore roofs off 27 houses, including one in Thanh Hoa and 26 in Dak Lak. In Cao Bang, 187 houses were flooded to depths of less than 1 metre.
Minh Long nursery and primary school in Cao Bang Province is flooded (Photo: A Hoa).
Nearly 280 hectares of rice and other crops in Cao Bang Province and Dak Lak Province were flooded or damaged. Two boats sank in Thanh Hoa Province after thunderstorms snapped their mooring lines and sent them drifting away. Local authorities and residents later recovered them and brought them back near the shore.
On transport, statistics showed that Cao Bang Province recorded flooding and landslides at 28 locations on National Highway 4A, though the route has now reopened, and at six rural roads, where floodwaters have receded and temporary repairs have been carried out.
In Quang Ninh Province, two landslides were reported on National Highway 18C, involving about 400 cubic metres of soil and rock. On Provincial Road 326, about 30 metres of asphalt surface peeled away, and local authorities have carried out temporary repairs to allow traffic to pass.
Localised flooding was also reported on streets in Ha Long Ward, Viet Hung Ward, Hon Gai Ward and Mao Khe Ward.
Estimated losses from heavy rain and thunderstorms in Cao Bang and Dak Lak provinces stood at about VND 10.2 billion (USD 392,000), including VND 6.7 billion in Cao Bang and VND 3.5 billion in Dak Lak. Quang Ninh and Thanh Hoa provinces have yet to provide damage estimates.
Heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms uproot many trees in Ea Kar Commune, Dak Lak Province (Photo: Uy Nguyen).
Immediately after the disasters struck, local authorities mobilised personnel and equipment to help residents deal with the damage, while also posting guards and warning signs at spillways and reopening transport routes.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the north-western region was forecast to receive 15-30mm of rain on the night of May 17, with some places seeing more than 90mm, while the north-eastern region was expected to receive 20-40mm, with some places exceeding 100mm.
The Central Highlands and southern region were forecast to receive 10-30mm of rain, with some places seeing more than 90mm. Areas from Thanh Hoa to Hue and the south-central coastal region were also forecast to receive 10-30mm, with some places exceeding 90mm.
