Storm No. 13 causes heavy damage to Dak Lak and Gia Lai

Storm No. 13 swept through the two provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai, killing 5 people, injuring 6 others, hundreds of houses had their roofs blown off, and aquatic cages were severely damaged.

On November 6, when storm No. 13 with strong gusts of wind and heavy rain hit the eastern coastal areas of Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces, thousands of roofs were blown away, trees were uprooted, electric poles were broken and aquaculture cages were swept away. According to preliminary data, by the morning of November 7, 5 people had died ( Dak Lak 3, Gia Lai 2), 6 people were injured, dozens of houses collapsed, more than 5,000 houses were damaged and had their roofs blown off.

Hundreds of houses had their roofs blown off and were seriously damaged. Photo: Trung Tan.

The storm also caused 8 ships to be sunk (4 ships in Dak Lak, 4 ships in Gia Lai ) and caused widespread power outages in Gia Lai province. Localities are currently continuing to review the damage, organize to overcome the consequences, and stabilize people's lives.

Traffic infrastructure and embankment works were also seriously affected, in which Bach Dang embankment was assessed to have suffered severe landslides, with damage estimated at about 150 billion VND. Total damage in the province was estimated at over 170 billion VND.

Many large trees were uprooted and lying around. Photo: Trung Tan.

Before the storm hit, the provincial government urgently issued a telegram, operated the irrigation and hydroelectric reservoir and organized the evacuation of 2,625 households with 7,976 people from the danger zone. After the storm, the armed forces, police and militia were mobilized to clear fallen trees, fix landslides and support people.

According to the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, after storm No. 13 moved deep into the mainland, the whole Gia Lai province had moderate, heavy and very heavy rain. Some stations recorded heavy rain such as: Hoc Nhan (Phu My) 104.4mm; Ha Nhe Lake (Vinh Quang Commune) 120mm; Phu Ha Lake (Phu My Commune) 106mm. Water levels in the eastern reservoirs are low, reaching 48-76% of the design capacity, and hydropower projects are operating safely.

Immediately after the storm swept through Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces, the armed forces promptly deployed many rescue measures, bringing dozens of people out of the danger zone. Photo: HV.

Flooding has cut off and isolated 10 areas/177 households in 6 villages and hamlets; 3 inter-commune traffic routes were cut off in Ia Don area (Ia Le commune); 3 areas were hit by landslides. Flooding on Provincial Road 662, Truong Son Dong road, cut off Ia Pa commune and Ayun Pa ward...

That same night, the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command used 2 armored vehicle crews and 14 soldiers to evacuate 2 households (15 people) in An Nhon Dong ward and Quy Nhon Nam ward whose houses had collapsed to safe shelters.

Some images of damage in Xuan Canh commune and Song Cau ward and shared by teacher Truong Thi Tam, English teacher, Vo Nguyen Giap Ethnic Boarding Secondary and High School, Xuan Canh commune.

Although the storm weakened into a low pressure area on the morning of November 7, the risk after the storm in Dak Lak is still very high: heavy rain continues, flash floods and landslides on hillsides - downstream can still occur. Experts warn people to absolutely not be subjective, need to continue to monitor and avoid affected areas.

Water levels are rising in some localities of Dak Lak province. Photo: Trung Tan.

In the coming days, the urgent task is to stabilize the housing of households whose houses collapsed/roofs were blown off, quickly restore agricultural and aquatic production, clear cut roads and restore electricity and communication. At the same time, people need to check their houses, brace their roofs, collect easily flying objects and avoid leaving their houses when strong gusts of wind are still likely to recur.

Currently, the extent of damage is being counted by authorities to come up with a support plan for the people. Photo: Trung Tan.

According to the leaders of the People's Committees of Dak Lak and Gia Lai provinces, storm No. 13 has once again shown the great destructiveness of natural disasters in the Central Highlands and coastal areas. The two provinces are facing a large amount of urgent recovery work, and need to be better prepared for upcoming storms and heavy rains. At this time, ensuring people's safety is still the top priority, along with restoring production and livelihoods in the coming time.

Along with post-disaster recovery, the Government has allocated 80 billion VND from the central budget to provide emergency support to three provinces severely affected by storm No. 13. Of which, Dak Lak received 30 billion VND, Gia Lai 30 billion VND and Quang Ngai 20 billion VND.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/bao-so13-gay-thiet-hai-nang-cho-daklak-va-gia-lai-d782880.html