Natural disasters cost 1.48 pct of national GDP
Natural disasters economically cost 1.48 percent of Vietnam’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually from 2008 to 2012.
The number of casualties has, however, dropped sharply compared with that of the previous five years, Dieu said, citing that the toll of dead and missing was 1,868, a decrease of 162, while the injured numbered 2,972, a drop of 607.
Among the hard hit localities, Mekong Delta provinces saw a significant drop in deaths, thanks to the employment of a series of preventive measures, including the relocation of local residents in submerged areas in safer shelters.
The heavy property loss was partly attributed to the planners’ failure to incorporate natural disaster prevention in socio-economic development plans.
To mitigate disaster consequences, provinces and cities nationwide should prioritise prevention programmes, especially one to move people living in disaster-prone areas to safer locations.
With a coastline that stretches along the eastern side of the country, Vietnam is prone to various types of natural disasters, especially floods and storms.