People have donated VND3.7 billion (US$190,000) to Tuoi Tre newspaper to distribute it to affected victims in the flooded Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces in the central region where has been submerged by the second spell of flood since Saturday.
Nguyen Dinh Duc in Phuong My commune of Huong Khe district in Ha Tinh province survives on a floating raft which is built from remains of his house swept during the first spell of flooding waters early last week
Photo: Tuoi Tre " style="text-decoration:none"> Nguyen Dinh Duc in Phuong My commune of Huong Khe district in Ha Tinh province survives on a floating raft which is built from remains of his house swept during the first spell of flooding waters early last week Photo: Tuoi Tre
Tuoi Tre sent staff to hand over aid relief as instant noodles, rice, bottled drinking water and milk for children to affected victims personally in the past days. In total, the paper has spent VND3.2 billion ($164,100) and will go on with the campaign today.
On Monday afternoon, Tuoi Tre staff delivered 3,000 aid relief packs to own hands of victims in districts Vu Quang, Cam Xuyen, Thach Ha, and Can Loc in Ha Tinh.
They have been isolated and suffered hunger since flood waters began rising quickly last week.
Around 152,000 houses were submerged in flood waters, isolating thousands of people having not enough time to evacuate.
Tuoi Tre staff witnessed many children crying to sleep in their mothers’ hug for having no milk before the relief group came.
“I’ve only relieved my hunger with raw instant noodles in the past three days so I couldn’t produce enough breast milk to afford my baby,” said the mother Dinh Thi Tam in the hamlet Vinh Can of Cam Thanh Commune in Cam Xuyen district.
“This milk would be enough for her in coming days before flood waters recede,” she said on receiving the relief food.
In the morning of Monday, Tuoi Tre relief group gave 2.8 tons of rice and other instant food to people in Quang Binh.
Nguyen Van Nguyen, chairman of Thanh Thach commune in Quang Binh, told Tuoi Tre, “Most houses of local people had been swept away by the first spell of flood waters early last week and the other came last Saturday.”
They could only live on relief rice given by local authorities, he added.
Today, Tuoi Tre staff come to Huong Khe district in Ha Tinh and districts Quang Minh and Quang Trach in Quang Binh to hand over 1,400 relief packages to people in person.
So far, 34 people have died during the second spell of the flood.