Hanoi (VNA) – Two people in Ca Mau and Vinh Long provinces died in strong winds andheavy rains in the Mekong Delta in recent days as they flattened houses andtrees and destroyed crops.

Luu Nhuan,head of Vinh Long province’s Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Preventionand Control, Search and Rescue, said the roofs of 75 houses were flattened orblown off on July 25, and one man in Tam Binh district’s My Thanh Trung communedied as a result.

The total lossof property is estimated at 1.5 billion VND (65,000 USD) in Tam Binh, Vung Liemand Tra On districts and Binh Minh township.

In Vung Liem district,many fruit trees and rice fields were damaged.

In Can Tho,the delta’s major city, 45 houses were damaged by the winds on July 25 while 21large trees along roads were knocked over in Ninh Kieu district, according tothe city’s Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control,Search and Rescue.

In Hau Giang province,eight houses in Chau Thanh A district and Vi Thanh city were damaged as was atoilet at the Truong Long A1 Primary School in the former.

In Ca Mau province,a whirlwind flattened two houses and blew off the roofs of four others in ThoiBinh district on July 24 night, leaving one man dead and his three childrenslightly injured, according to the district People’s Committee. A wallfell on him, crushing him to death.

In Kien Giang province,38 houses were damaged in Gieng Rieng district on Thursday, leaving 15 peopleinjured.

More than 4haof fruits and 1.3ha of vegetables were also damaged.

Authorities inCan Tho and various provinces have taken measures to provide relief to affectedpeople, including financial support for the families of the two people who died.

Nguyen QuiNinh, head of the Can Tho Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Preventionand Control, Search and Rescue, said local authorities have visited affectedhouseholds and helped dismantle damaged houses to mitigate possible danger.

They areassessing the losses and would petition the city to provide financial supportto affected households, he said.

Besides, theyare checking trees along roads and cutting branches that are damaged might fallduring the ongoing rainy season.

In Vinh Long,the natural disaster committees in affected localities have mobilised humanresources to help affected households move to safe areas and provide temporaryhousing.

Authoritiesare estimating the damages suffered by households to provide support./.