Overview of damage after storm No. 5: 3 dead; 13 injured, more than 6,800 houses with damaged roofs

Preliminary information from the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) and VNA reporters in localities, storm No. 5 and its circulation have caused serious damage to people and property in localities.

Storm No. 5 has caused serious consequences in many localities.

According to statistics as of 7:00 a.m. on August 26, the storm killed 3 people in Ninh Binh, Nghe An and Ha Tinh; 13 people were injured in Phu Tho, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri. In addition, 8 houses collapsed, more than 6,800 houses had their roofs blown off or damaged, more than 3,000 houses were flooded, and dozens of villages in Thanh Hoa were isolated. Thousands of hectares of rice, crops, and fruit trees were flooded or felled, causing heavy losses to agricultural production.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said that this was an unusual storm as it took only three days to form and make landfall, half the time of the usual rule. Before making landfall, the storm stopped for two hours, causing many people to mistakenly think it had dissipated, which could easily lead to complacency. The storm's circulation also caused flooding, dyke collapses and many dangerous incidents in Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri provinces.

Traffic systems in many places were paralyzed. In Nghe An, four locations on Ho Chi Minh Road, Highway 48D and Highway 15 were deeply flooded. Ha Tinh recorded a traffic jam on Highway 1 due to a broken electric pole.

Thanh Hoa and Quang Tri have many landslides and localized flooding, making it difficult for people to travel. On August 25, more than 60 flights had to be canceled or rerouted because Dong Hoi and Tho Xuan airports temporarily stopped receiving flights.

The power system was also severely affected with more than 1.6 million customers losing power in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh provinces and some other localities. 742 power poles were broken, many areas were submerged in prolonged power outages. Currently, functional forces and local authorities are urgently inspecting, making initial repairs and continuing to review and count the damage to have timely response measures.

Prolonged heavy rain caused by storm No. 5 has caused a lot of damage in Sa Pa ward.

In Sa Pa ward, Lao Cai province. Heavy rain caused landslides at Km2+200 on Provincial Road 152, through the turnoff to Y Linh Ho, making traffic dangerous.

In the Sa Pa 2 residential area, heavy rain also knocked down an electric pole, posing a risk to residents and vehicles. This incident forced the electricity sector and local authorities to urgently take measures to ensure safety.

Not only the roads, but also some households were affected. A typical case is the family of Mr. Thao A Giang in Sa Pa 4 residential group, when the foundation of his house collapsed, affecting the structure of the building, threatening life and property.

Immediately after the incident, local authorities promptly assisted in evacuating Mr. Giang’s entire family to a safe place. Authorities are also inspecting and assessing the damage to implement further remedial measures.

Impact of storm No. 5's circulation on Thanh Hoa province

Due to the influence of storm No. 5, prolonged heavy rains have caused water levels in rivers and streams in Thanh Hoa province to rise rapidly. Many roads have been flooded and eroded, leaving some mountainous areas isolated.

Faced with complicated developments, Thanh Hoa province has upgraded the Yen River to alert level III, while the Ma, Buoi, Len, Chu and Cau Chay rivers are all at alert level II. Water from upstream flows at high speed, causing many mountainous roads to be deeply flooded and have serious landslides, causing traffic disruption.

The risk of landslides and flash floods in mountainous districts is very high. In Son Dien commune, the authorities promptly evacuated 29 households from the danger zone from noon on August 25. Thanks to that, there were no human casualties, but many rice fields and fish ponds along rivers and streams were washed away.

The impact of storm No. 5 also caused serious problems with the power system. According to Thanh Hoa Electricity Company, by 8:00 a.m. on August 26, up to 2 110kV lines, 70 medium-voltage lines and 2,785 transformer stations were damaged. About 333,959 customers in 55 communes and wards lost power, dozens of medium-voltage and low-voltage poles were broken. The electricity force is urgently checking and repairing to soon restore power to the people.

Moderate to very heavy rain in the Northern provinces

In the past 24 hours, many provinces from Son La, Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Quang Ninh to the North Central region have had moderate to very heavy rain. The average rainfall is from 400-550mm, with the highest recorded at Thuong Tuy Lake (Ha Tinh) at 557mm.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has warned of the risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams and landslides in steep terrain. Following the direction of the Secretariat and the Prime Minister, the Ministry has sent an official dispatch requesting provinces and cities to urgently deploy timely response measures to minimize damage.

Localities are required to closely monitor weather forecasts and provide full information to local authorities and residents. At the same time, they are required to conduct a review of residential areas along rivers and streams, low-lying areas, and areas at risk of flash floods and landslides; and deploy forces to control traffic in areas with deep flooding and strong currents to ensure safety.

In addition, the Ministry also requested to prepare sufficient forces, means and materials for rescue work; proactively evacuate people from dangerous areas; provide food and essential necessities for people, especially poor and disadvantaged households. Localities must maintain strict on-duty and regularly report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for timely direction and handling of arising situations.

Hanoi is deeply submerged in 'water'

Heavy rains have caused severe flooding in many streets in Hanoi. Rising water levels have created a “sea of ​​water” in the heart of the city, making it difficult for people to travel.

Heavy rain caused many streets such as Thai Ha, Pham Ngoc Thach, Truong Chinh... to be partially flooded. Rising water caused traffic jams, making it difficult for people to move around during rush hour.

A series of cars and motorbikes broke down in the middle of the road, forcing many vehicles to stop or seek temporary shelter. Traffic was thus congested, and many people were unable to continue their journey.

On the afternoon of August 26, Hanoi residents were surprised to witness a rare phenomenon when a tornado appeared in the sky. Many videos recording this image quickly spread on social media, attracting a large number of views and comments.

The tornado was short-lived before dissipating as heavy rain hit many inner-city areas.

Heavy rains can cause flooding in low-lying areas, urban and industrial areas; flash floods on small rivers and streams, landslides on steep slopes (real-time warning information on areas at risk of flash floods and landslides is provided online on the website of the Department of Hydrometeorology at:https://luquetsatlo.nchmf.gov.vnand in separate bulletins warning of flash floods and landslides). During thunderstorms, there is a possibility of tornadoes, lightning, hail and strong gusts of wind.