Historic downpour causes heavy losses

August 27, 2015 | 10:37

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The nine-day heavy rains and subsequent floods struck the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on July 26 and have left the locals with severe injuries and damage.

In the deluge triggered by the historic downpour 17 people lost their lives and many others were injured. Eight deaths were reported from a family residing in the province’s Cao Thang ward, which has been hit especially hard.

The only survivor, Cao Tien Vy (aged 37), is still receiving special treatment at the nerby hospital.

Tran Thi Kim Lan, Prudential Vietnam’s chief representative said, “We have immediately visited Vy to encourage him, and now are finalising documents to ensure due compensation is provided as soon as possible,” adding that Vy’s family had an insurance policy at Prudential.

“We hope the compensation will, to some extent, help victims overcome this difficult stage,” Lan added.

Prudential Vietnam’s CEO Wilf Blackbburn said, “Our hearts go out to the people suffering in Quang Ninh. However, from another aspect, this historical natural disaster has showed our great responsibility in the times to come, given that only 5 per cent of the Vietnamese population has life insurance policies so far.”

“Once households are well-prepared in terms of financial plans, they will be much safer from the potential risks of natural disasters,” noted Wilf.

Being considered as the worst natural disaster in the past four decades by municipal authorities, the floods inundated nearly 4,000 houses and schools, over 880 seafood cages covering 200 hectares of water surface and more than 1,000 hectares of rice and other crops, causing a total estimated damage of VND2.7 trillion ($123.8 million).

A number of coal exploitation and processing factories also had to halt their operations. The damages to these facilities may reach up to VND500 billion ($23 million).

By By Thanh Xuan

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