Natural disasters economically cost 1.48 percent of Vietnam’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) annually during 2008-2012, an official has said.
Nguyen Xuan Dieu, Permanent Member of the Central
Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, reported that
during the time, natural disasters triggered an economic damage of
nearly 74 trillion VND (roughly 3.5 billion USD), 19.3 trillion VND more
than the previous five years.
In the reviewed
period, the number of casualties has, however, dropped sharply compared
with that of the previous five years, Dieu said, citing that the toll of
dead and missing was 1,868, a decrease of 162, while the injured
numbered 2,972, a drop of 607.
Among the hard hit
localities, Mekong Delta provinces saw a significant drop in deaths,
thanks to the employment of a series of preventive measures, including
the relocation of local residents in submerged areas in safer shelters.
The heavy property loss was partly attributed to the
planners’ failure to incorporate natural disaster prevention in
socio-economic development plans.
To mitigate
disaster consequences, provinces and cities nationwide should prioritise
prevention programmes, especially that to move people living in
disaster-prone areas to safer locations.
With a
coastline that stretches along the eastern side of the country,
Vietnam is prone to various types of natural disasters, especially
floods and storms.-VNA