At least one person has died and thousands have evacuated their homes in central Vietnam after days of heavy rainfall. More severe weather is likely to affect the country as Tropical Depression ‘Invest’ moves eastwards over the South China Sea.
Heavy rain affected central areas of the country from late 22 October 2021, in particular in Quang Ngai and Quang Nam Provinces. In a 24 hour period to late 23 October, Binh Khuong in Quang Ngai recorded 600 mm of rain; Hanh Dung (Quang Ngai) 598 mm; Binh Tan (Quang Ngai) 577 mm; Tra Phu (Quang Ngai) 54 6mm; Tam Tra (Quang Nam) 539 mm; and Tam Ky (Quang Nam) 488 mm.
Further heavy rain fell in the following 24 hour period, with Tam Tra in Quang Nam province recording 368 mm; Tra Kot (Quang Nam) 324 mm; Tra Giap (Quang Nam) 306 mm; Tra Hiep (Quang Ngai) 327 mm; Tra Phong (Quang Ngai) 301 mm; and Tra Phu (Quang Ngai) 257 mm.
Vietnam’s Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) reported 5,373 houses were flooded in Quang Nam Province, mostly in Nui Thanh, Thang Binh and Phu Ninh districts and the cities of Tam Ky and Hoi An. Flood waters were over 1 metre deep in some locations.
VDMA also reported 11,038 houses flooded in Quang Ngai Province. The worst affected areas included Binh Son, Son Tinh, Tu Nghia, Nghia Hanh districts and Quang Ngai city. One person drowned in flood waters in Nghia Hanh district. VDMA also reported three fishermen were missing after a small boat was sept away.
Over 7,000 people were evacuated to safety from flooded areas and areas at risk of landslides in Quang Nam (2,535 people) and Quang Ngai (4,541 people).
The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) said Tropical Depression ‘Invest’ is likely to bring heavy rain and strong winds over the coming days. As of early 26 October the storm was located around 250 km off the coast of Ninh Thuan.
Featured photo: File photo for illustration. Rain in Vietnam. Photo: clurross / Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
