Dong Ha, Quang Tri (15 October 2020) — The recent severe and widespread flooding in Central Vietnam has resulted in a very difficult situation for thousands of people residing in three provinces of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue.

Quang Tri has been the most affected area. According to a provincial government report, the flooding has forced around 22,000 people to be displaced and more than 40,000 houses submerged and damaged by floods.

In order to ensure the safety of our staff, Project RENEW/Norwegian People’s Aid have suspended Explosive Ordnance survey and clearance operations in Quang Tri Province since Thursday, 8 October 2020. All of our staff members and their families are currently safe.

According to a report of the RENEW/NPA Workers’ Union, the recent severe rain and flooding had resulted in 33 houses of our staff members residing in Dong Ha, Gio Linh, Vinh Linh, Cam Lo, Quang Tri Town, Trieu Phong, Hai Lang in Quang Tri Province and Phong Dien in Thua Thien Hue Province being submerged in water. Many of them had had no power for over a week, making their daily life really difficult.   

Vietnam is prone to destructive storms and flooding due to its long coastline. Natural disasters – predominantly floods and landslides triggered by storms – killed 132 people and injured 207 others in the country last year.

Currently, torrential rains in central Vietnam have eased and the flooding is slowly decreasing. However, weather forecasts indicate that from 16 to 20 October heavy rains will recur and cause flooding in the region. We closely monitor the situation and stay in contact with the provincial authorities for planning our work and ensure the safety of all staff.

Project RENEW was established in 2001 as a joint effort between the government of Quang Tri Province and interested INGOs to “restore the environment and neutralize the effects of the war”.