The chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa province has declared a state of emergency in the two border communes of Yen Nhan and Bat Mot (formerly Thuong Xuan district). These areas were hardest hit by the remnants of Typhoon Kajiki, experiencing landslides and prolonged isolation.

In Yen Nhan, the disaster injured two people and forced 123 households (492 people) to evacuate. 62 households (259 people) are still unable to return home. 180 houses were damaged, 24 of which were completely destroyed. Many key roads are impassable due to landslides. Essential infrastructure, including the kindergarten, community center, power grid, telecommunications system, retaining walls, and communication towers, suffered severe damage.

In Bat Mot, 35 households (131 people) are currently sheltering in evacuation centers. Roads throughout the commune are severely damaged by landslides, isolating several areas. Public facilities, homes, the power grid, and telecommunications systems have all been damaged.

Houses in Na Nghiu village, Yen Nhan commune, collapsed after the flash flood on 26/8. Photo: Lam Son

Immediately after the emergency declaration, the provincial People's Committee directed relevant agencies, armed forces, and local authorities to focus on providing relief, restoring infrastructure, and stabilizing people's lives. The People's Committees of Yen Nhan and Bat Mot communes were instructed to continue surveying dangerous areas, proactively relocate residents, and prevent people from returning to unsafe locations. They were also asked to coordinate with the army, police, and medical personnel to provide essential supplies, support house repairs, clear debris, reopen roads, sanitize the environment, and erect warning barriers at landslide sites.

Relevant agencies are collaborating to assess the damage and prioritize the restoration of agricultural production, power grids, telecommunications, healthcare, education, and transportation as quickly as possible.

Yen Nhan is currently without power due to damaged infrastructure. Photo: Lam Son

Typhoon Kajiki made landfall on the afternoon of 25/8 in the Thanh Hoa - Ha Tinh region with winds of level 10-11, gusting to level 13. The storm brought over 10 hours of heavy rain from North Central Vietnam to several northern provinces. Of the three localities directly affected, Thanh Hoa experienced the most severe flooding.

According to Thanh Hoa's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, heavy local rainfall combined with flooding from upstream rivers and streams in the mountainous areas and northern Laos caused the water levels of the Ma, Chu, Buoi, and Cau Chay rivers to exceed alarm level three. Tens of thousands of households in downstream areas like Cam Thuy, Vinh Loc, Thach Thanh, and Ham Rong were inundated, and several national highways were paralyzed for hours.

Le Hoang