"I met a family in Quang Ngai province south of Danang today. They are a young couple with four children, and are very poor. They did not have much before the typhoon, now they have almost nothing". (p-VNM0231)
Nguyen Hungha
On 29 September, Typhoon Ketsana hit the central coast of Viet Nam, affecting more than three million people. Around 150,000 remain displaced from their homes. The Viet Nam Red Cross and its volunteers helped to evacuate 160,000 people from low-lying areas and have since been providing life-saving support. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a preliminary emergency appeal for nearly five million Swiss francs. Nguyen Hungha is in Viet Nam and shares a personal account of what he has seen.
I met a family in Quang Ngai province south of Danang today. They are a young couple with four children, and are very poor. They did not have much before the typhoon, now they have almost nothing. Le Thi Hong is a fisherman and sails his small boat close to the coast and in the rivers.
Their house was not fancy, but it gave them shelter and now it does not exist anymore. They were happy to meet the Red Cross and receive a bit of help, and they had also been promised some assistance to build a new home.
I went to the local authorities who said that Le Thi Hong and his family would probably receive up to 600 dollars for a new home. That is good, but only half of what they need. He is unlikely to be able to raise the rest himself, as this is a huge amount for a poor fisherman with four children.
Recovery and reconstruction
So this family is one of the many vulnerable groups we have registered and who need help with recovery and reconstruction.
My colleagues went to other communes in the provinces, some of which are still very difficult to reach.
People are returning to their areas, but life is not returning to normal yet. The destruction is widespread and it will take many months before people have recovered.