floods

If you haven’t heard the news, Hanoi is under water.  The city has been drenched in heavy rains for several days now and the flooding is pretty bad, to say the least.  I hope Hanoi is still there when I move on November 28th!  In all seriousness, though, the situation is worthy of concern.  As parts of the city are cut off, food and water supplies are dwindling.  Many crops are well under water and the long-term effects of this disaster are not yet known.

 Flooded Streets – I don’t know exactly where this is in Hanoi and I am still trying to understand which neighborhoods are taking the brunt, however, this does not look like much fun at all.  Photo by AFP/Getty Images.

I spoke with my friend Kurt in Hanoi and I hear that he and his family is safe and dry and that my new co-workers at the Press Club still have dry socks, as well.  That’s great news.  I’m still trying to understand the location of where the floods are the worst.  Sadly, the week’s weather forecast just looks like more rain.

I’m really hoping that my future city sees some sunshine soon.  And once I get there, I’m thinking it may be best to secure an apartment on higher floors.  And YES – Of course, I still want to live there!  First of all, this is a freak storm.  If you keep up with this story, you’ll see how these people work together to rebuild their communities.  You will not see them point fingers or try to find someone to blame for bad weather.  This may be the worst storm and flooding in decades, and a rainy season lasting beyond normal, but with everything else The Vietnamese have survived – this is barely a hurdle.

Here’s a few links – just click on the red text:

AFP

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hvgcTA4HBUHko9a5uZWkwb0vWyRQ

Telegraph.co.uk

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/vietnam/3367750/Vietnam-capital-Hanoi-underwater.html

VietnamNet Bridge (about food and water supplies)

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2008/11/811632/

Nhan Dan (local news on committee helping locals – there is no FEMA!)

http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/life/031108/life_h.htm

And a simple Google of “hanoi, floods” will turn up many other articles from news sources all over the world.

On the Bright Side,

Shanna