(VOVWORLD) - There were five flights carrying food and essential goods to isolated areas in the flood-hit central region on Friday, according to Lieutenant General Le Chiem, Deputy Minister of Defense.
The Deputy Minister of Defense said “Today, goods were unloaded five times in Quang Tri province. It was very timely. Currently there remain inaccessible places. For example, relief aid yesterday could not reach three communes in Tay Giang district. Nghe An and Ha Tinh also have four to five unapproachable communes. Because of the floodwater, we only access them by air. But when the weather is not good, a flight is impossible. Access by boats has also faced difficulties. Safety must be ensured.”
The Ministry of Defense has deployed various means of transport, including canoes and small vehicles, to reach out isolated, remote areas devastated by floods.
Vietnam’s central region has been devastated by floods and landslides triggered by downpours over the past two weeks.
UNICEF said Thursday that the natural disasters have put more than 1.5 million local children at risk for diseases, malnutrition and delayed development. At least 135,000 families have been directly impacted by flood water levels as high as 2 meters in certain communes, and over half a million people lack access to clean water.