Floods inflict heavy damage on agriculture and irrigation infrastructure

Heavy toll on agriculture and infrastructure

According to Khanh Hoa authorities, as of 5:00 a.m. on November 22, flooding in the province has resulted in 15 deaths and 20 injuries. Eight of the fatalities were caused by landslides at mountain passes (six at Khanh Le Pass and two at Khanh Son Pass), while seven others died due to the effects of heavy rains and floods in the areas of North Nha Trang, Phuoc Hau, West Nha Trang, Dien Tho, and West Khanh Son. Additionally, two people remain missing after being swept away by floodwaters in Nam Khanh Vinh and Phuoc Hau.

Regarding property damage, 15,396 houses were reported flooded. While water levels are currently receding, the communes of Dien Dien and West Nha Trang remain deeply submerged. Furthermore, 17 National Highways and Provincial Roads have suffered landslides.

In the agricultural sector, as of 6:00 p.m. on November 20, crops across 50 communes and wards were submerged, affecting a total area of 12,200 out of 86,600 hectares. Specifically, approximately 9,300 hectares of rice are underwater, pending water recession for damage assessment. For vegetable and root crops (approximately 1,300 hectares), losses are estimated at 260 billion VND (USD 10.2 million), while other crops such as grapes, apples, and durian (approximately 1,600 hectares) suffered damages of around 80 billion VND (USD 3.1 million).

The livestock sector in 17 communes and wards also faced significant losses as cattle and poultry were swept away, with damages estimated at 4 billion VND (USD 157,000). The aquaculture sector (approximately 80 hectares of shrimp, grouper, sweet snails, and one high-tech shrimp farming zone) also recorded losses of about 4 billion VND (USD 157,000). Additionally, salt production suffered damage to over 146 hectares of salt fields, equivalent to 10.2 billion VND (USD 400,000).

Damage to public works and infrastructure is estimated at 335 billion VND (USD 13.2 million), significantly impacting the region's foundation. Specifically, the Nuoc Ngot reservoir dam sustained damages estimated at 120 billion VND (USD 4.7 million). A 200-meter stretch of the northern dyke of the Cai Phan Rang River suffered erosion to its slope and surface, costing approximately 20 billion VND (USD 787,000). Furthermore, the floods damaged six spillways and one diversion dam, caused the collapse of service bridges, and destroyed walls along internal field canals totaling 5.5 km in length. Many riverbank sections spanning 4.3 km also suffered erosion, with total damages estimated at 85 billion VND (USD 3.3 million).

Key traffic arteries, including National Highway 27C, Provincial Road 9, National Highway 27B, National Highway 27, Provincial Road 8, Provincial Road 5, and Provincial Road 8b, suffered landslides, with repair costs estimated at 110 billion VND (USD 4.3 million). The total estimated damage for the entire province stands at approximately 760 billion VND (USD 30 million).

Residents struggle with cleanup

On the morning of November 22, as the last of the floodwaters finally receded, a scene of utter devastation was revealed in Phu Trung 1 Village, West Nha Trang Ward. The storm left behind a thick, sticky layer of black mud, along with a heavy sense of despair weighing on the local residents.

Many long-time residents shared a common sentiment: the damage this time exceeded all predictions and years of accumulated flood-fighting experience. The terrifying memories of the night of November 19 through the early morning of November 20 still haunt many. The floodwaters rose too fast, too continuously, and showed no signs of stopping.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Dung (born 1961) could not believe what was happening: "I have never faced such a terrible flood in my life." Although his house was built with a foundation raised one meter above the road surface, the floodwaters still surged in, rising to approximately 1.5 meters inside his home.

Facing a direct threat to their lives, Mr. Dung and his two children were forced to climb into the attic of their bathroom to seek shelter. They sat huddled together, awake through a long, terrifying night until daybreak.

All their assets, from valuable electronics to daily household items, were submerged in mud, completely destroyed and unsalvageable. Mr. Dung could not hide his bitterness: "We worked and saved our whole lives, and now suddenly, we are empty-handed."

Similarly, the family of Ms. Bui Thi Tau is rushing to clean up amidst the ruins. Ms. Tau noted that this was the third time her house had been flooded in a short period, but the peak was the early morning of November 20, when water rose nearly 1.7 meters inside her home.

"Witnessing the water rising from the night of November 19 to the morning of November 20 is a trauma that still haunts me. The sounds of people calling for help, banging on windows and tin roofs to climb up for safety, echoed throughout the neighborhood," Ms. Tau recounted.

That night, Ms. Tau's entire family stayed awake. Many households in single-story homes without mezzanines or sturdy attics had no choice but to risk their lives climbing onto their roofs to escape, despite the relentless heavy rain.

Urgent recovery efforts

The Provincial Steering Committee for Civil Defense organized a review meeting to proactively advise the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on directing prevention and recovery efforts, ensuring the safety of lives and property for both the people and the State. Leaders of the Provincial Party Committee directly inspected key areas, encouraging residents and forces, and directing timely rescue operations. These efforts strictly adhered to the official telegrams and documents from the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee for Civil Defense regarding focused consequence management.

The total force mobilized included 15,584 personnel (comprising regular troops, militia, police, and local shock troops) along with 283 vehicles (rescue vehicles, fire trucks, canoes, troop transport trucks, etc.). To date, response efforts have recorded 15,396 houses (affecting 48,339 people) flooded, of which 10,374 houses (37,842 people) were deeply submerged. Evacuation and rescue operations were carried out for 3,268 households (12,844 people). Units also provided over 3 tons of food (canned milk, canned fish) and over 2,000 cases of instant noodles, along with other essential necessities.

In the coming days, police and military forces will maintain strict combat readiness and disaster prevention duty at all levels to search for missing victims and address damages. Additionally, the province will organize command forces to inspect the field, supporting the restoration and stabilization of people's lives, while simultaneously stepping up communication efforts to gradually improve adaptability, response capabilities, and the mitigation of damage caused by disasters.

*USD 1 = VND 26.353 (Source: Vietcombank)