Tan Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province has many places flooded up to 2m deep
Tropical Storm Soulik, or Typhoon No.4 has caused widespread flooding and landslides across several provinces in central Vietnam, leading to isolation in many areas.
Households have been submerged, with some locations requiring continued evacuation due to landslides along key roads.
As of late yesterday, rain had eased off in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri. In Ha Tinh, some rural roads in Huong Khe and Vu Quang districts remained flooded. In Quang Binh, 1,150 households were underwater, and 38 villages remained isolated.
Soulik has injured one person (in Thua Thien-Hue) and damaged 96 houses (63 in Ha Tinh, four in Quang Tri, 12 in Thua Thien-Hue, and 17 in Quang Nam). In terms of transportation, 16 roads and low-lying crossings were flooded, and more than 100 landslides occurred (86 in Quang Binh, eight in Quang Tri, one in Thua Thien-Hue, and seven in Quang Nam).
On September 20, the Quang Tri Province's Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue reported that over 1,000 households had to be evacuated due to the storm's impact.
Heavy rain triggered landslides, depositing more than 50 cubic metres of soil and rock onto National Highway 14 in Huong Lap Commune (Huong Hoa District), cutting off traffic. By the afternoon, roads leading to Huc, Huong Tan, and Huong Linh communes (Huong Hoa District) had only just reopened after being cleared of landslide debris.
Many areas in Vinh Linh District were left without power due to damage to the electricity grid, with recovery efforts still ongoing.
In Quang Binh, heavy rainfall has continued, with river water levels expected to rise further. Local authorities have deployed teams to monitor the situation, set up warning signs, and prepare to assist residents once the floodwaters recede.
Previous rains caused the upper reaches of the Gianh River to swell, inundating several residential areas. Rising river levels in the mountainous districts of Minh Hoa, Tuyen Hoa, Bo Trach, and Quang Ninh have also been reported. As of the afternoon of September 20, 37 villages with more than 600 households in Quảng Bình were flooded.
Minh Hoa District was the most affected, as 538 households experienced flooding from 0.5 to 2 metres deep. All affected households had been evacuated.
Currently, 44 road sections in Quang Bình have been cut off due to landslides, with Tuyen Hoa District being the worst hit. Several dams and bridges in the communes of Mai Hoa, Van Hoa, Thanh Thach, Lam Hoa, and Kim Hoa (Tuyen Hoa District) are experiencing water levels rising between 1 and 1.5 metres, making transportation impassable.
On the same day, two ships in Quang Binh encountered trouble while anchored to avoid the storm. At 10 am, the fishing vessel QB-98043 TS broke its anchor and was capsized by the waves. Earlier, the cargo ship Nam Anh 69, while anchored at the Gianh River mouth, got entangled in oyster farming cages, causing it to drift two nautical miles offshore. Salvage operations were set to begin early this morning (September 21) when the tide rose.
Dangerous mountain crack discovered
In Quang Nam, on the morning of September 20, Nguyen Dang Chuong, Vice Chairman of the Nam Giang District People's Committee, personally inspected a large crack running along a mountainside behind Hamlet 56B, Dak Pre Commune.
District leaders reported they would hold discussions on emergency measures and report to the Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee for urgent solutions for affected households, including the possibility of establishing a new resettlement area. The crack, discovered on the afternoon of September 19 after more than two days of heavy rain, extends approximately 130 metres, with a depth of 1.5 to 5 metres and a width of 50 centimetres to 4 metres in some sections.
(More here)
Comment: Update September 24
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