Six houses collapsed and trees fell on the road, blocking them, as a storm struck Ho Chi Minh City early Friday morning.
Strong winds damaged 15 houses in District 9’s Truong Khanh residential area.
Six of them collapsed and were completely destroyed along with most of the objects inside.
Cao Thuy Nhin, deputy chairwoman of Long Phuoc Ward, said the six families had each been given aid worth VND4 million (US$240).
The nine other families received amounts ranging from VND2.5-3 million.
In neighboring Thu Duc District, the wind toppled a giant billboard in Linh Trung Ward, damaging the roofs and walls of three houses and slightly injuring two people.
Sao Mai Advertisement Services Company, which owns the billboard, negotiated with the affected families and advanced each of them VND40 million ($2,400) in compensation.
The storm blew away the corrugated iron roof of a house in 3 Thang 2 Street that runs through districts 10 and 11.
A portion of the roof fell on a tree in front of the house, in the process severing some electrical wires.
The fire brigade came to remove the roof.
As a result of the incident, traffic was held up for a few hours on 3 Thang 2 Street and neighboring Dien Bien Phu and Cach Mang Thang Tam streets.
A large tree crashed on the outer wall of the city police’s investigative agency (PC14) office on Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1.
It cut electrical wires and caused a blackout in the area.
HCMC Greenery and Park Company workers immediately took away the tree to clear the street.
In District 11, a tree fell on a two-story house in 3 Thang 2 Street and the top floor collapsed.
No casualties were reported.
HCMC Greenery and Park Company said the storm also uprooted some trees in 23/9 Park in District 1.
Le Thi Xuan Lan of the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Center said the system was linked to Storm Kammuri that is brewing in the East Sea.
Source: TN