HCMC – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$2.5 million grant to help the Vietnamese Government provide emergency and humanitarian services to residents affected by the recent floods in the central region.
Andrew Jeffries, ADB Country Director for Vietnam, said the bank highly appreciated the Vietnamese Government for quickly responding to the natural disaster, adding that “ADB’s grant will augment the wider government response to deliver immediate, life-saving assistance to people who need it the most, especially those who were already experiencing adverse economic impacts due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The grant is funded by the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund, which was designed to provide support to ADB’s developing members affected by major natural disasters.
ADB is also coordinating with other partners to support Vietnam’s efforts to respond to natural disasters, including assessing the impact of natural disasters and supporting central localities. ADB expects that residents hit by natural disasters will be able to access basic healthcare and social services as well as resources to rebuild their lives.
Since October 6, the central region has experienced prolonged and heavy rains accompanied by strong winds, leading to severe floods and landslides. As of October 29, up to 214 people had been killed or reported missing, according to the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority.
Some 7.7 million Vietnamese people are living in areas affected by the floods. Of the total, 1.5 million people in nine central provinces have seen a direct impact and some 380,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed.
