Vietnam Floods Kill 40, Heritage Site at Risk
Date: 30-Nov-04
Country: VIETNAM
But hundreds of old wooden houses at a 16th-century United Nations world heritage site looked set to survive despite earlier fears many could collapse after flood waters reached as high as 2 metres (6 ft).
The floods, sparked by torrential rains from Typhoon Muifa last week, have submerged 170,000 houses in five provinces and destroyed roads, cutting food relief to many areas.
Thousands of people have fled their homes and an official said 270,000 people in just one of the affected provinces needed urgent help.
Officials said they had been unable to get relief supplies through to the mountainous district of Tay Tra in Quang Ngai province for four days due to landslides.
"We tried, but the road is blocked. Helicopters cannot land," said a provincial official, adding that more landslides were feared.
Scores of low, tile-roofed houses in the town of Hoi An in central Vietnam, declared a UN world heritage site in 1999, had looked close to collapse, Le Van Giang, chairman of Hoi An town People's Committee, told Reuters.
But by Monday morning, the floods waters had receded, raising hopes that more than 500 houses in the mediaeval trading centre would survive, Giang said.
"We installed reinforcements in 27 houses which appeared to be weaker than others," he told Reuters. "The remaining houses are safe and none has collapsed so far."
Weather forecasters said some rain was expected in the Central Highlands coffee belt. No flood damage has been reported there but rain could disrupt harvesting in the world's top producer of robusta coffee.
Typhoon Muifa killed 61 people in the Philippines before weakening into a tropical storm and moving offshore into the Gulf of Thailand on Thursday.
Seven to eight tropical storms hit Vietnam each year and usually trigger flash floods in the central region. Nearly 100 people were killed in floods in October and November last year.
(US$1=15,740 dong)
