Flooding kills four, leaves one missing in Luang Prabang
Flash flooding after heavy raiYMe Head, Dr Khamman Chanthalangsy told Vientiane Times yesterday.
The flooding swept away five houses, affecting 10 others and a secondary school along its path, he said.
This small village comprising around 100 people is about eight kilometres from Nan district town.
The initial assessment by local authorities suggested that the cost of the damage was almost 500 million kip, provincial media reported.
“This is the second dangerous flood this year, after we have not experienced such events in the area for several years,” said Dr Khamman.
“The flow of water came on very quickly then dropped back to a normal level in only a few hours,” he added.
The first event occurred in Xieng Ngeun district last month, where more than 10 houses were washed away by a flash flood and a woman was killed by a landslide in Ngoy district.
To provide relief for victims of the flooding, the provincial authorities, led by the provincial Administration Office, are cooperating with businesses in the area, and yesterday presented clothes, dried noodles, salt and 30 million kip in cash for emergency assistance.
“We will try to encourage more assistance from other government agencies and the private sector and have advised district authorities to also call for contributions from people within the district,” he said.
The most basic but vital things the victims need are food and somewhere to stay.
Some of them have been able to move in with relatives, while a few families have been given assistance by villagers and local authorities to build emergency shelters.
To prevent future accidents from flooding during the rainy season, the provincial disaster management committee recently warned people and local authorities in various areas, especially those living alongside rivers in the province, to take extra precautions during storms and heavy rain.
After these accidents, he believes that many areas are at risk because this year the rainfall is heavier than normal and certainly different from the last few years.
Many areas in northern parts of the country are struggling to maintain communications due to the torrential rainfall, however the Vientiane Times has not yet received flood reports from other provinces.
Weather forecasters in Thailand have warned residents in 16 provinces there, some bordering with Laos, to beware of the possibility of flash flooding and landslides resulting from heavy rainfall which is expected to continue until Thursday.
