Hanoi calls for emergency aid after killer storms
HANOI - Vietnam has issued an
appeal for emergency assistance for central provinces
recently hit by severe storms that left at least 267
people dead and thousands homeless.
The appeal, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters
on Tuesday, was signed by the head of the communist
party's mass movement umbrella organisation -- the
Vietnam Fatherland Front.
Addressed to people and soldiers in the country, it
called for all Vietnamese people living at home and
abroad, as well as domestic and international charity,
social and humane organisations to provide spiritual and
material help to disaster victims.
The appeal had been circulated to a limited number of
official Vietnamese media organisations but not to
foreign embassies or other international groups, a
Fatherland Front official said. He did not elaborate.
``Recently floods and storms have caused extremely
severe consequences to people's lives and property
belonging to the people and the State in (some) central
provinces and the central highlands,'' the appeal said.
Severe storms Chip, Dawn and Elvis raked the central
coast during the last three weeks, while torrential rains
from the end of October brought heavy flooding to
some areas.
The extreme weather left at least 267 people dead and
92 injured, while 16 people were listed as missing,
according to the country's Disaster Management Unit
(DMU).
The DMU is a joint project run by the United Nations
Development Programme and Vietnam's Agriculture
and Rural Development Ministry.
The economic cost of the calamities was put at around
$93.2 million, the DMU said.
The storms destroyed 9,821 houses and left another
470,000 flooded. Some 143 schools were destroyed
and 1,480 damaged, while the total number of
destroyed or damaged bridges was put at around
1,900.
Official media reported on Tuesday that the government
has decided to provide $16.4 million in emergency aid
to the stricken areas.
Reuters - December 01, 1998.
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