260,000 households flooded in central Vietnam in 2010

The plan would be carried out in areas which often face severe flooding, resulting in the need for financial assistance. The project would provide two-thirds of the financing for families to build 10 square-metre flood-resistant shelters next to their existing homes.

The project would be implemented in 14 cities and provinces in the central and northern-central regions, including Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Danang.

The minister also recommended that communities located in areas where flash floods and landslides are frequent should be moved as soon as possible.

Minister Dung added that localities should build or upgrade certain sites, such as schools or administrative buildings, which could be used as public shelters when floods occur. 

Local authorities would make a list of the most vulnerable households in the first quarter of next year, with construction to begin immediately on 20% to 30% of these. The rest would be completed in 2013. 

According to reports from the areas, during the rainy season last year, around 260,000 homes were flooded by water as high as 3.6 metres. 60,000 of them were poor households.

Dung added that providing safe shelter during severe weather is an important concern all across the country, not just in the central regions. But, due to funding limitations, the project would need to focus on those areas most affected by severe weather.