The rain and floods have not stopped yet, the Central region may face another storm next weekend

This morning (October 18), the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee on Prevention and Controlnatural disasterorganize emergency flood response meeting in Central region.

Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem informed that today and tomorrow, in Quang Binh, Quang Tri,Nghe Anthere is very heavy rain with rainfall from 400 - 600mm.

The area from Quang Tri to today has less rainfall than 2-3 days ago, expected from 50-80mm/24h. However, tomorrow the cold air will strengthen, from tomorrow night to October 21, there will continue to be rain, rainfall from 100 - 150mm/24h.

Regarding floods, the Thach Han River has reached level 3, above level 3, and may slowly recede today. However, on the Kien Giang River in Le Thuy at 7am this morning, the level was approximately the same as the historic flood of 1979, at 3.91m. It is forecasted that this afternoon it will rise 0.3-0.4m above the historic level. In Ha Tinh, the possibility of flooding is also very high.

Mr. Khiem also informed that currently, disturbances are forming in the East of the Philippines, with the possibility of forming a tropical depression, which may affect our country next weekend, and most likely enter the Central region.

“If it happens around October 24-26, it will also cause very heavy rain, the amount of rain depends on this tropical depression or storm,” said Mr. Khiem.

The representative of the Ministry of Transport said,floodThe current 2-week period is very dangerous and is considered a sensitive period. Currently, National Highway 1 is blocked in Quang Binh (4 flooded points), and Quang Tri has 1 flooded point. The East branch of Ho Chi Minh Road is temporarily open to traffic, but the West branch is still very complicated.

Last night the railway in Dong Ha (Quang Tri) was flooded, and trains have now stopped running.

Colonel Nguyen Dinh Hung - Deputy Head of the Rescue Department, Border Guard Command informed that the landslide situation in Huong Hoa district (Quang Tri) is very serious. The Border Guard Command of Quang Tri province has dispatched over 100 mobile soldiers to Huong Hoa to coordinate in implementing rescue measures for officers and soldiers buried in the apartment building of the 337th National Defense Economic Group (Military Region 4).

Evacuate nearly 53,000 households affected by flooding and landslides

According to a quick report from the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, as of 5:00 a.m. this morning, 52,933 households were still flooded and at risk of landslides and had to be evacuated, of which 8,337 households had been evacuated. In other localities, the water has receded and people have returned home.

Floods in the Central region since October 6 have killed 64 people and left 5 missing.

Update in Thua Thien Hue on the situation of workers at Rao Trang 3: 2 dead and 15 missing.

12 National Highways, 17,409m of local roads were eroded and damaged (in the provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai)...

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention Nguyen Van Tien requested localities to continue to seriously implement the Prime Minister's direction on focusing on responding to heavy rain and floods in the Central provinces.

Continue to carry out search and rescue work; organize visits, encouragement and timely support for families with dead or missing people; treat the injured; support food, foodstuffs, environmental sanitation, housing and clean water for people affected by damage; ensure medical examination and treatment for people in flooded areas; promptly overcome the consequences of floods and restore production.

Strengthen information and communication work on the complicated developments of the flood situation; guide people to proactively implement safety measures, especially in areas that are still deeply flooded and even in areas where the flood has receded, to avoid complacency.

At the same time, direct, organize supervision and operation of irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs to ensure safety of works and downstream areas, reserve capacity to receive the next flood, especially for reservoirs in the Huong River basin...

The communal dining hall of the 337th Defense Economic Group (Military Region 4) in Quang Tri was crushed by a landslide. Rescue teams are currently working to search for people suspected to be buried.