The Prime Minister has decided to entrust the Ministry of Finance to allocate 5,000 tonnes of rice from the national reserve for five central provinces which are hardest hit by natural disasters.

Currently, inundation is hitting about 154,000 households in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri. (Photo: VNA)

Accordingly, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien – Hue, Quang Nam and Ha Tinh each will receive 1,000 tonnes of rice.

The PM asked the People’s Committees of the provinces to promptly receive and distribute the allocated rice to the right people in line with regulations.

Between October 6-12, central cities and provinces from Nghe An to Quang Ngai suffered from three storms and two tropical depressions, along with a cold spell that have triggered prolonged rains and floods.

The total common rainfall has exceeded 1,000mm, even reaching 2,000-2,500mm in Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces, surpassing the record level in 1999.

On October 12 and 18, six provinces from Quang Binh to Quang Nam were submerged, affecting more than 260,000 households, with many areas 2-3m under water. Currently, inundation is hitting about 154,000 households in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri.

As of 5pm on October 19, the natural disasters left 102 people dead and 25 others missing, and damaged many local agriculture, irrigation and transport infrastructure.

Source: VNA