The report says 200 communes in the region are under water, 152,000 houses have been damaged by the floods, and tens of thousands of people need urgent assistance.

Among the missing are 19 passengers on a bus which was swept away by flood waters early on Octocber 18.

Over the past few days, the authorities of the affected provinces have taken the initiative to repair the damage, move people to safe ground, and provide them with food and medicines.

Speaking at a teleconference of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control on October 18, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat asked provinces to take prompt action to assess the damage and prepare for the planting of crops to help the affected people.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked the localities to provide food, accomodation, clothes, and medicines to help people overcome the disaster.

He asked the media to keep people well informed of the storm Megi, which is heading towards Vietnam.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control and relevant State agencies should work with localitites to call on ships to take shelter or come ashore, supervise evacuation efforts, and protect aquatic breeding grounds, said the Deputy PM.

Mr. Hai said it is essential to call on ships and protect lives and property and asked provinces to use every available resources to deal with the storm and minimise the damage.

In response to the Government’s request, the central provinces have introduced a wide variety of measures to cope with the storm Megi.

The Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee has asked all its dictricts to evacuate people out of the dangerous areas.

By late October 18, Thua Thien – Hue province had called in more than 4,000 vessels. The province has also prepared 100 tonnes of rices and 100 tonnes of instant noodles for flood victims.

Binh Dinh province also called in nearly 2,000 ships, but there are still 100 fhishing boats with 800 fishmen on board out at sea who can not be contacted.