HANOI – The death toll from Typhoon Bualoi has tragically risen to 51 in Vietnam, with an additional 14 people still missing and 164 injured, as floods and landslides ravaged the northern and central regions of the country. The devastating storm, which initially struck the Philippines on September 26, is estimated to have caused property damage reaching 15.9 trillion Vietnamese Dong (approximately $850 million USD).
Extensive Damage and Humanitarian Crisis
The typhoon, known for bringing heavy rainfall with daily measurements exceeding 300 mm in some areas, inflicted widespread destruction. The number of fatalities has nearly doubled since the initial reports released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on September 30, underscoring the severity of the disaster.
Key damages include:
Housing: 238,000 houses were damaged or submerged.
Agriculture: 89,000 hectares of crops, including rice, were affected. Additionally, 17,000 hectares of aquaculture farms and 50,300 hectares of forest were damaged.
Infrastructure: Approximately 8,800 electricity poles were knocked down, leading to power outages for 468,500 households. About 7,500 roads were blocked by floodwaters and debris.
Government and Community Response
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered immediate and swift recovery efforts. The government has approved the allocation of 2.524 trillion Dong (approximately $135 million USD) from emergency reserves to provide urgent support to 15 affected localities.
Complementing government aid, corporate and community support has also been mobilized. The Vietnam Fatherland Front has issued a national appeal for public support, and a large local conglomerate, Vingroup, has created a 500 billion Dong fund (approximately $18.9 million USD) to aid victims, particularly those who have lost family members or homes. Furthermore, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security have been directed to prepare resources, including helicopters, to support urgent relief and rescue operations in hard-to-reach and isolated areas.
Climate Change Raises Disaster Risk
Typhoon Bualoi is the latest in a series of increasingly severe tropical storms to hit Southeast Asia, a trend experts link to climate change. Warmer oceans are fueling stronger storms and heavier rainfall, escalating the damage. Data from the Vietnam General Statistics Office (GSO) indicates that the cost of natural disaster damage in Vietnam from January to August this year had already surged to about $371 million USD, nearly triple the amount recorded in the same period last year. Last September's Super Typhoon Yagi, which killed 323 people and caused $3.3 billion in economic damage, serves as a grim reminder of the region's increasing vulnerability.
As the nation mourns its dead and works tirelessly to restore services and shelter, the long-term challenge of adapting to a more volatile climate remains at the forefront of Vietnam's disaster management agenda.
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