Janice R. Andrews
As of Tuesday, 127 people had died because of Typhoon Yagi, which was Asia’s worst storm of the year. It did a lot of damage in northern Vietnam. Heavy rain from the storm has caused widespread flooding and landslides that have damaged infrastructure a lot and put the city, Hanoi, at risk.
Rising Death Toll and Damage All Over
On Saturday, typhoon Yagi hit land on Vietnam’s northeastern coast. It brought heavy rain that flooded neighborhoods and caused deadly floods. The disaster management office has reported that 127 people have died and that 54 more are still missing. Another 764 people have been hurt across northern Vietnam.
Most of the people who died were killed by landslides and flash floods, mostly in rural and hilly areas where homes were buried by the damage. Some of the worst hit areas are Lao Cai, Bac Giang, and Phu Tho. Landslides in Lao Cai alone have killed 19 people and left 36 others missing.
Hanoi is in danger
This time, the floods are coming to Hanoi, the main city. Several rivers, including the Red River, have hit dangerous levels. People living on the edges of the city have been seen walking through knee-deep floods, and low-lying areas have been told to leave. A person named Nguyen Thi Tham who lived near the Red River had to leave their houses quickly with only their personal items because the water level rose so quickly.
The government news agency said that on Monday, a 30-year-old bridge over the Red River in Phu Tho province fell, going missing eight people. Thus, travel has been limited or banned on several other bridges, such as Hanoi’s Chuong Duong Bridge, which is one of the biggest in the city.
Warnings and evacuations over loudspeakers
The government is moving quickly to get ready for possible floods in the capital. Officials have warned people in the Long Bien area along the river using sirens that used to play Communist propaganda. People are being told to stay alert and take emergency evacuations ready in case things get worse.
More than 4,600 soldiers have been sent to Bac Giang province, which is a major industry hub, to help with the evacuations. The damage in this area alone is thought to be worth about 300 billion dong, which is about $12.1 million for the government. Several factories in the area, including big electronics companies like Samsung and Foxconn, may be hit, but there has been no official proof.
Buildings falling apart and river levels rising
Risks are always there because the Red River and other rivers in northern Vietnam are rising quickly. The situation is being closely watched by the government, which said on its Facebook page on Tuesday that river levels were still rising. A lot of damage has already been done to flood-prone places in the northern provinces, where roads and bridges have been washed away and homes have been flooded.
The government has also asked China to let them know if they plan to release water from nearby dams, which could make the already dangerous flood levels even worse.
Huge losses for the economy
The full damage hasn’t been assessed yet, but early reports indicate that there will be big loses. The flooding has hurt more than 160,000 hectares of farmland and almost 50,000 homes in northern Vietnam. The emergency management office is still figuring out how much the damage will cost all together, but early estimates show that the storm will have effects that last for months.
People who live in coastal towns like Haiphong and Quang Ninh, where Typhoon Yagi first hit land, have described total destruction. Many people have lost their homes, their jobs, and their farms. One neighbor said they “lost everything.”
Relief Work Is Underway
Tens of thousands of soldiers and other first responders are working around the clock to help people who have been touched by the disaster. Families are being moved out of the worst-hit places by boat, and makeshift shelters have been set up. But the amount of damage has been too much for the local government, which is asking for more help to handle the situation.
Vietnam is still trying to get back on its feet after Typhoon Yagi. It will take a long time for the country to heal. Northern Vietnam is in a state of emergency because of flash floods, landslides, and infrastructure that is falling apart. More rain could make things worse in the coming days, according to the government.
Typhoon Yagi has done a lot of damage to Vietnam. It has killed 127 people, forced thousands to move, and put big towns like Hanoi at risk. As the floodwaters keep rising, the officials stay on high watch and work nonstop to stop more deaths and damage. Now that the storm is over, the focus will be on putting back together broken neighborhoods and helping the country get back on its feet after one of the worst natural disasters in recent years.
