Domestic and foreign organisations assist Vietnamese storm victims

 By 11am on October 2, two days after launching a donation campaign, the Vietnam Fatherland Front had received over VND5 billion from domestic and foreign individuals and organisations.
The Voice of Vietnam’s trade union mobilised its staff to donate one-day’s salary. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam and some foreign-invested enterprises raised nearly VND300 million.
Son La province drew on a reserve fund for disaster prevention worth VND570 million to support 15 provinces in the Central Highland region, including VND50 million for each of the four hardest-hit provinces, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Thua Thien-Hue and Kon Tum.
The Royol Food Factory in My Tho industrial zone, Tien Giang province, transferred 3,000 barrels of fish produced by the factory at a cost of VND1 billion to Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Thua Thien-Hue provinces and Da Nang city.
According to the Vietnam Red Cross, by October 1, international organisations and Red Cross chapters from other countries donated US$609.000 in cash and supplies, to help people in the Central Highland region cope with the consequences of tropical storm Ketsana.
On top of the international donations, the Vietnam Red Cross provided another VND2.2 billion relief.
By October 1, the number of deaths caused by tropical storm Ketsana was up to 99, according to the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention. 14 people were still missing and 252 people injured.
17,300 houses were destroyed, 4,000 classrooms flooded, 221 bridges damaged and 15,000 high-tension poles downed. Over 30,000 hectares of rice were flooded and 439 irrigation works broken.
The National Committee for Search and Rescue and the Ministry of Defence used 4 helicopters to transfer 10.3 tonnes of relief supplies to isolated areas, including Tam Ky, Dai Loc, Quang Nam in Vietnam and Phi village, Xe Xan commune, Gia Dao district, Ratanakiri province in Cambodia.
The Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, Education and Training and Communications and Information sent teams to the Central Highland region to help restore healthcare, clean up the environment and re-connect the telecommunications network.