South East Asia – Floods in Vietnam and Laos Leave at Least 6 Dead

Update, 22 August 2016:

Local media in Vietnam have reported that 7 people were killed as Typhoon Dianmu swept across northern Vietnam from 19 to 21 August.

2,000 families were evacuated before the storm hit.

Yên Bái Province was hit the hardest with two deaths and one injured. Other provinces of Sơn La, Lào Cai, Hòa Bình, Bắc Giang and Nghệ An each had one fatality. Around 44 homes destroyed by the storm.

A further two people are missing after being swept away by flood water in Bắc Giang and Lào Cai provinces.

ECHO report that over 600 houses were damaged in Vietnam. In China, Typhoon Dianmu left over 200 houses damaged in Hainan province.

Original report, 18 August 2016:

Several countries in South East Asia have seen severe flooding over the last few days, including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. There could be more severe weather to come as Tropical Storm Dianmu is predicted to head from China towards northern Laos and Vietnam.

In Thailand, flooding was reported in 4 states in the north since 12 August. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) in Thailand warned of heavy rain and flooding in 30 provinces around the country.

Elsewhere in South East Asia, heavy rain and flooding have also affected northern provinces of Laos and Vietnam, where at least 6 people have died as a result.

Meanwhile in Myanmar, the flood situation continues to affect hundreds of thousands in several states or regions, particularly in areas along the Chindwin and Ayeyarwady rivers.

Vietnam

Torrential rain in northern parts of Vietnam began around 12 August, causing flooding and landslides in six provinces. Local media reported that rain reached between 200mm to 400mm in some areas.

Two fatalities were reported in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai. This is the second deadly flood event in the province in the last few weeks. Heavy rainfall in the wake of Typhoon Nida between 02 and 05 August triggered flash floods and landslides in the province, increasing levels of the Red River, and causing flooding and landslides which left at least 5 dead.

Other fatalities from the recent floods in Vietnam were reported in Dien Bien (2), Thai Nguyen (1) and Thanh Hoa (1) where flooding also destroyed several houses. Landslides triggered by the heavy rain were also reported in the provinces of Yen Bai and Hoa Binh.

Laos

AHA Centre report that heavy rains from 11 to 12 August in Laos caused floods affecting 4,977 people in 22 villages in Xayabuly (Sainyabuli) and Louangphabang. Flooding was also reported in Oudomxay, where AHA say that assessments are ongoing.

The government has mobilized resources and personnel to assist the affected population, according to AHA. Military and police rescue efforts are ongoing with priority given to evacuating people to the safer areas.

Medical teams have been mobilized to provide medical services for the communities. Relief items have been deployed to the flood affected population.

The AHA Centre is the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management.

Tropical Storm Dianmu

Vietnam and Laos could be in for more severe weather with the potential arrival of Tropical Storm Dianmu over the next few days.

Dianmu formed over in the South China Sea 120 km south off the coast of Guandong province in China on 17 August.

According to Chinese media, “Typhoon Dianmu landed in Dongli Township, city of Leizhou, southern China’s Guangdong Province”, at 15:40 local time, Thursday, 18 August.

Over the next 72 hours, the storm is forecast to move towards Vietnam and Laos, with possible rainfall totals of 100 to 200 mm in a 24 hour period.

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