Thunderstorms caused damage in Lam Dong, Dak Lak and neighboring provinces

Thunderstorms on the afternoon of August 20 caused dozens of houses to lose their roofs and trees to fall, crushing pedestrians in Lam Dong, Dak Lak.

Around 4:30 p.m., heavy rain and tornadoes occurred in wards 1 Bao Loc, 2 Bao Loc, 3 Bao Loc and B'Lao, Lam Dong province. Strong winds blew off the roofs of dozens of houses, and many trees were uprooted and fell on the road.

Ward 2 and 3 Bao Loc are the areas more severely affected. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hiep, who lives on Blaosire Street, said the storm lasted nearly an hour, with continuous gusts of wind causing the corrugated iron roof to shake violently.

"The corrugated iron roof shook continuously, then was blown up," Mr. Hiep said.

The police, military, militia, union members and youth of the wards are helping people move property, repair roofs, saw and clear fallen trees and collect damage statistics.

On the afternoon of August 20, a large tree along Highway 20, passing through Chuoi Pass in Da Huoai commune, collapsed in heavy rain. The tree canopy hit a moving truck, causing the vehicle to be slightly dented but no one was injured.

Madaguoi Traffic Police Station, Lam Dong Provincial Police Traffic Police Department, divided lanes, warned vehicles and mobilized chainsaws and cranes to handle the incident. After about 40 minutes, Highway 20 through Chuoi Pass opened to two-way traffic.

In Dak Lak, around 5:00 p.m., thunderstorms with strong winds swept through Buon Ma Thuot ward, causing many trees on the Phan Chu Trinh - Tran Cao Van, Hoang Dieu - Mac Thi Buoi, Pham Ngu Lao and Le Duan routes to break branches, uproot, and fall onto the road.

On Dat Ly street, an ancient mother-of-pearl tree fell and hit a motorcyclist. The victim was taken to the emergency room by people.

Tree branches and trunks block some streets, affecting travel. The wind also blew away some signs and damaged the shelves of businesses. People said the wind appeared suddenly, accompanied by heavy rain.

After the storm, people and authorities cleared trees and cleared roads. Authorities are assessing the damage.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms also occurred in Dau Tieng commune (formerly Binh Duong, now in Ho Chi Minh City), causing many trees to fall and some houses to have their roofs blown off. By this evening, the authorities had cleared the trees, moved people from the dangerous area and blocked the road with the corrugated iron roof hanging overhead.

In Dong Nai, thunderstorms in the afternoon of the same day affected many areas in Tri An commune. Tri An Primary and Secondary School had part of its roof blown off, four walls and some internal facilities were damaged.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the Central Highlands and Southeast have scattered showers and thunderstorms, locally heavy rain, concentrated in the afternoon and night. During thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning and strong winds appear.