Hanoi issues second alert on Red River in 10 districts

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dai, Director of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, issued a level II flood warning. Level I on the Red River at Long Bien (Hanoi) is 9.5 m; level II is 10.5 m; level III is 11.5 m.

Alert level II has been issued in Tay Ho, Bac Tu Liem, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Hoang Mai, Long Bien districts and Thanh Tri, Dong Anh, Gia Lam districts. The meteorological agency has warned that the rising Red River could cause flooding along the riverbanks and low-lying areas, threatening the lives and property of people in flooded areas.

When raising the first alarm, Hanoi City said that the Red River has not risen to this level since 2008, so people may be subjective, lack response skills, and the government may be passive.

In the meeting on the morning of September 10 with the People's Committees of Chuong Duong and Phuc Tan wards, Mr. Pham Tuan Long, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem district, requested the evacuation of all households within the first alert area; temporary evacuation to The One apartment building and cleaning and preparing Hang Be market to move people there.

In addition, Mr. Long requested to review more public institutional locations to reserve as places to receive displaced people. Specifically, in Chuong Duong, at the alarming level, 60 households with 200 people will be evacuated; in Phuc Tan, 70 households with 260 people will be evacuated.

Level 1 warning is when the river starts to flood, but it is still limited to the riverbed - equivalent to a small flood. Level 2 warning is when the water level on the river has risen to the average level, the flood water begins to cause flooding and negative impacts on people's lives, economy, and society - equivalent to an average flood.

To ensure safety, the Hanoi Department of Transport has restricted vehicles from crossing Chuong Duong Bridge, starting from 8:30 a.m. on September 10 until further notice. Specifically, the direction from Hoan Kiem to Long Bien prohibits passenger cars, contract cars, and tourist cars with more than 9 seats; trucks over 0.5 tons are prohibited; buses are allowed to run normally.

From Long Bien to Hoan Kiem, passenger cars, contract cars, and tourist cars with more than 9 seats are prohibited; trucks with more than 0.5 tons are prohibited; buses are allowed to cross the bridge. Passenger cars, contract cars, tourist cars with more than 9 seats and trucks with more than 0.5 tons are allowed to cross Thanh Tri, Nhat Tan, Vinh Tuy, and Thang Long bridges.

Long Bien Bridge will be closed from 3pm today until safety is ensured. Pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikes, and three-wheelers will not be allowed to cross the bridge connecting Hoan Kiem district with Long Bien. At 9am the same day, the railway industry will stop trains running across Long Bien Bridge, meaning 5-6 pairs of trains will have to stop.

Due to the impact of the circulation of storm Yagi, from September 7th until now, Hanoi has been raining, water from the upper reaches of the Red River has poured into the lower reaches, causing the water level to rise rapidly. Hanoi recorded 4 deaths, 23 injuries, and more than 40,000 trees broken in the storm.