Assisting, Rebuilding and Fostering Resilience After Typhoon Yagi

Typhoon Yagi has devastated some of Vietnam’s poorest, most remote communities. Blue Dragon is providing them food, supplies and shelter – and making sure people don’t fall into the hands of those looking to exploit them.

Devastation

As flood waters receded and clean-up efforts began after historic floods in Hanoi, news of mass displacement began emerging from rural communities further north. 

Many villages remained inaccessible and uncontactable for days. When we were finally able to reach them, the scale of devastation became clear. 

In Dien Bien province, most of which is remote and inhabited by people from ethnic minority communities who experience some of the highest poverty levels in the country, more than 400 people have been relocated to public buildings that are being turned into improvised shelters. Thousands more have sought shelter with relatives and acquaintances in less affected areas. 

The situation is similar in Ha Giang province, where the Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue has already counted 1,200 homes that were damaged or destroyed by floods and landslides.

Landslides have destroyed homes across northern Vietnam.

Relief

Blue Dragon is hard at work delivering rice, cooking oil, fresh eggs, vegetables and other food staples for people who had to evacuate their homes. We are also providing essential equipment like cooking utensils, mosquito nets and bedding.

While many communities now have electricity, access to water remains a concern as water from local streams may not be safe to drink at this time. To ensure everyone’s safety, Blue Dragon teams are providing water filters and clean drinking water. 

Delivering emergency supplies to remote communities.

Rebuild

Many of the families we are assisting have lost everything they owned, including their homes. Right now, we are helping them to retrieve as much as they can from the flood. Once the situation stabilizes, we will begin to rebuild.

As well as homes, families have lost businesses and precious livestock. Many hectares of crops have been lost, and schools and other facilities have been flooded and will require significant support to recover. 

“While we provide emergency aid, we’re simultaneously assessing and making plans for long-term assistance,” says Blue Dragon co-CEO Skye Maconachie. “We will help with reconstruction of homes, livelihoods and anything communities need to recover from this crisis and not fall into the hands of exploiters preying on their desperation.”

Sorting through the wreckage of a house in Ha Giang.

Resilience

If communities in northern Vietnam slip further into poverty – pushing more people to leave their homes in search of a better life – they will become more at risk of being trafficked, exploited and abused. 

That is why it is essential that the response to Typhoon Yagi is swift, thorough and lasting. Rebuilding homes and businesses is just one step towards this goal. We will also be offering holistic care, psychological counseling and vocational training to people who have lost everything.

With the global Blue Dragon community coming together, we can make sure that affected communities not only bounce back from this disaster, but that they come back stronger and more resilient than before.