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Vietnamese troops help people in Hoi An overcome typhoon consequences. Photo: qdnd.vn
Typhoon Damrey made landfall in Vietnam on November 4, 2017 with winds of up to 135 km/hour, 50km South of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province, and became one of the worst storms to strike Vietnam’s Southern coastal region in years. The typhoon brought torrential rains to the Southern and Central provinces. Affected areas have been heavily flooded and many communes have been isolated.

“With a grant of USD 250,000 in disaster relief funds, USAID will provide sanitation, health-related, and commodity relief items to the areas of Vietnam most affected by Typhoon Damrey,” said Ambassador Kritenbrink.

“An additional disaster preparedness grant of USD 800,000 awarded last month to the Vietnam National Red Cross Society will benefit approximately 13,700 people directly and 30,000 people indirectly in three target provinces using a community-based approach to build capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters,” the US Ambassador added.

Vietnam remains vulnerable to a host of weather-related risks and climate change impacts. Typhoon Damrey clearly demonstrated the importance of being prepared and able to effectively respond to disasters.

Since 2000, USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance has provided more than USD 20 million to address emergency response needs and disaster risk management activities in Vietnam. Through the Department of Defense, the US Government has also provided more than USD 28 million since 1998 to train military and civilian emergency responders and develop and equip disaster management centers, maritime response centers, and disaster shelters at the community level. 

Chung Anh