Da Nang did not suffer huge damage from storm Vamco but the severe weather created a mess across the ciy with many fallen trees and piles of trash and sea sand washed onto the coastal streets by high surf in their wake. In a rush, an environmental cleanup drive with the enthusiastic involvement of crews and residents, therefore, has taken in a bid to help the city retain their original charm as soon as possible following the severe weather.

Many specialised vehicles were used to quickly collect trash left on coastal Hoang Sa after storm Vamco in Da Nang

During the storm surge, only one person in Son Tra District broke his leg whilst reinforcing his home against the strong winds.

Dozen of metal roofs have been partially blown away by gusty winds, and about 140 urban trees were uprooted.

Also, two local fishing boats sunk and ten others were washed ashore by the storm surge. Three ha of vegetables were also heavily damaged.

Likewise, such some coastal streets as Vo Nguyen Giap, Hoang Sa and Nguyen Tat Thanh streets have been damaged by big waves and a rise in sea and river levels.

In particular, the pavement of Ngu Nguyet Street along the western bank of the Han River, was peeled off by rounds of gusty winds and a high tide.

Captured on Sunday morning, a large amount of waste, including branches, firewood, and used plastic items piled up on the Nguyen Tat Thanh beach. Sanitation workers and volunteers went out to the beaches to clear trash left there.

“A lot of the trash gets stuck in the dunes. Trash from here, there and everywhere has been churned up, making its way to shore. That’s why clean up crews are working very hard to remove hundreds of km of waste”, said a worker.

Meanwhile, a large number of workers from the city’s Urban Environment Company have been sent to districts across the city to clear the mess on streets and residential areas across the city after Da Nang was battered by the storm.

It was reported that a combined total of 2,000 tonnes of domestic waste and other types of trash left along streets after the storm are being collected, the Urban Environment Company said.

Also on Sunday, traffic police and border guard forces were on duty to clear fallen trees and ensure smooth traffic movement.

In a similar vein, workers from the Da Nang Water Drainage and Wastewater Treatment Company (DWTC) got involved in opening main sewers along streets for rainwater to quickly drain away.

The pavement of Ngu Nguyet Street was damaged by strong winds and a rise in river level.

Vamco is the latest in a series of storms that have pummelled Central Viet Nam over the past six weeks causing flooding and landslides that have killed at least 159 people and left 70 others missing.

Initial reports from the Disaster Management Authority said that 15 people were injured while they were trying to secure their houses in the central provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien- Hue.

A total of 2,000 houses in these localities had their roofs totally or partially blown away by rounds of gusty winds.

In the Philippines, International Red Cross rescue teams are searching floodwaters with torches in the Cayagan valley in the island of Luzon where towns and villages are submerged following Vamco’s rampage.  Some of the thousands of people stranded on rooftops have been rescued.

The death toll has risen to at least 67 and dozens remain missing after Vamco hit on Wednesday, just one week after Goni, the most powerful typhoon seen in this foreign country in seven years.

By HOANG HIEP – Translated by A.T