Thanh Hoa (VNA) – Deputy PrimeMinister Pham Binh Minh held a working session with authorities of centralThanh Hoa province on October 15 to direct the recovery from the heavy rainsand floods that recently hit the province. 

He praised the province for evacuating18,588 households out of landslide-prone areas and asked for more search andrescue efforts and attention on ensuring environmental hygiene, diseaseprevention and supplying water.

The Deputy PM requested the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development to promptly repair two dykes in Xuan Minh andTho Truong communes, Tho Xuan district, which pose risks to more than 440,000households in districts of Tho Xuan, Yen Dinh and Thieu Hoa if another downpouroccurs.

Chairman of the provincial People’sCommittee Nguyen Dinh Xung suggested that the government, ministries andagencies offer aid of 580 billion VND (25.21 million USD) from the State budgetto Thanh Hoa to repair dykes and other transport works, as well as add severaldyke upgrade projects into the list of medium-term State investment at a totalcost of roughly 700 billion VND.

The province also asked for State financialassistance to support affected farmers and sought permission to upgrade dykesalong Cau Chay, Hoat and Thi Long rivers at a rough cost of 1 trillion VND.

The disaster killed 16 and left five othersmissing in the province. It also flooded 28,146 houses, destroyed 28,833ha oftrees and winter crops, and 6,055ha of aquaculture, costing nearly 2.7 trillionVND.

The same day, National Assembly ViceChairwoman Tong Thi Phong arrived in the northern mountainous province of SonLa to inspect damages of floods from October 9-11 and direct recovery efforts.

As of October 14, the flood had claimed sixlives and left two missing, swept away hundreds of houses and 22 bridges, anddamaged more than 960ha of rice.

By October 15, five communes and 26 villageswere still isolated.

On the occasion, Phong together with localleaders presented gifts to affected families.-VNA