Floods rising in central region rivers, 1 killed

Heavy rains following last week’s Typhoon Gaemi have occurred in some areas of central Vietnam, causing some rivers to rise to alarming levels.

The Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center predicts that rising water in rivers in Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces may reach even higher levels today, including the lower reaches of the Thu Ba River in the Central Highlands.

Floodwaters in other rivers in the area from Thua Thien Hue to Binh Dinh provinces are predicted to be less serious.

As of today flooding due to the storm has killed one and caused property damage in the region.

On Saturday evening Nguyen Thi Anh Tram, 18, from Dak Lak Province was drowned and swept away by flood water.

Yesterday, the swift flowing water of Ba River in Phu Yen Province caused erosion and mild damage to the fishing port in Tuy Hoa.

In Thua Thien Hue, thousands of households along the lower reaches of O Lau River were inundated with water from 0.3 – 0.7 meters deep in the last two days. National Highway 49B in Phong Dien District was under 0.5 – 0.8m of flood water, and other roads were flooded with a meter of water.

Local authorities and people have since focused on reinforcing dikes along the coast in Hai Duong Commune of Thua Thien Hue.