Flooding threatens central Vietnam as residents scramble to evacuate homes
VOV.VN - Torrential rain has over the past few days triggered floods in central Vietnam, forcing local residents to move to a higher ground for safety reasons.
Heavy downpours coupled with water discharged from Bien Dien and Ta Trach hydro power plants submerged parts of Thua Thien-Hue province, especially in low-lying areas, on November 14.
Rising floodwaters turned major streets in Hue city into rivers, disrupting traffic flows and plunging residents’ lives into chaos. Notably, the mountainous district of Nam Dong received approximately 800mm of water within several hours of rain on November 14 evening.
Water levels of the Huong River running across Hue city are expected to exceed the third – the highest – alert level on November 15. Local authorities were ordered to evacuate residents from areas prone to severe flooding and landslides, and shut schools if flooding worsens.
Meanwhile, the long spell of rain caused severe flooding in Quang Nam province, leaving many communes and districts between 0.5-1m deep under water.
Hundreds of households in the flood-prone communes of Dai Loc and Dai Hung were isolated by the floodwaters. Many people frantically packed up their properties to move to a higher ground.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, rain is likely to fall in central provinces from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Ngai in a couple of days.
Weather experts warned water levels in major rivers in the central region would continue to rise, threatening local residents living in low-lying areas.
They also warned about the possibility of flash floods and landslides to occur in mountainous areas.
