The Red Cross has stated that Vietnam is experiencing its worst flooding decades, resulting in the deaths of over 100 people. Worryingly, things are expected to get worse as new cyclones appear along the coast of the South-East Asian nation.
It is thought that almost 100,000 people have been displaced and that 178,000 homes have been submerged. Thousands of small farms have also been washed away.
The President of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, said in a statement:
"These devastating floods are some of the worst we have seen in decades. They are dealing a staggering blow to the livelihoods of millions of people already reeling from hardships caused by the CoVid-19 pandemic. We're doing our best to get immediate relief to people by boat, by air and on land, including food, safe water, tarpaulins and other essentials."
The worst hit area is Hue province around 700km from the capital Hanoi and in Quang Binh a landslide occurred bringing an estimated 3,000 tonnes of rock and soil down upon homes and roads.
Aid worker Michael Brosowski said:
"Hue experiences floods each year, but the scale and the speed this year is shocking. Local residents now live in a way that is prepared for a natural disaster, but this is on a much larger scale. They'll have to start all over again."
It is thought many people are now without their livelihoods, their homes and the bare essentials such as food and clean water.
Vietnam and the Vietnamese government have been praised widely for their handling of the CoVid-19 pandemic. A country with a population of 100 million and a border with China implemented an ultra-strong public safety campaign at the beginning of the pandemic that has resulted in only 1,148 cases and 35 deaths. However, like all other countries, Vietnam has been affected financially, a burden that will only be increased by the current flooding.
It is worried that the CoVid-19 response may be undermined if many people begin travelling significant distances and crowding together in temporary shelters. This has the potential to spark mass outbreaks that could be spread to the rest of the country.
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