VIENTIANE, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Floodwater inundated many areas of central Lao provinces after tropical storm Podul blasted through over the weekend, leaving one person dead and damaging large swathes of rice crops.
Flooding occurred in many parts of the country after the Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, warned 15 provinces to be on the alert for heavy rain and wind due to storm activity from Thursday to Sunday.
In Savannakhet province, some 410 km east of Lao capital Vientiane, 247 villages in 10 districts were affected by floods, local daily Vientiane Times on Tuesday quoted the director of the province's Labor and Social Welfare Department, Bounlop Khotlackkham, as saying.
"According to initial reports, 28,273 families were affected and 36,188 hectares of rice crops are under water. A 22-year-old man in Atsaphon district drowned after he fell into floodwater," he said.
"Many roads, bridges and irrigation channels have been affected. Local authorities are assessing the damage and surveying flood-affected areas, Bounlop added.
Local authorities and members of the Savannakhet Volunteers Rescue team helped to move people from flooded and at-risk areas to higher ground.
Head of Savannakhet Volunteers Rescue, Bouddy Boupphalasy, said a flash flood occurred in Nakhou village, Outhoumphon district.
"We rescued over 10 people who were marooned in a hut in a rice field and clinging to some trees, and took them to safety," he said.
In Khammuan, some 250 km southeast of Lao capital Vientiane, 87 villages in five districts along the Xebangfai River were affected by floods and over 5,000 hectares of rice crops were under water, Director of the province's Agriculture and Forestry Department, Bounchan Xaypanya, said.
Meanwhile, people in central and southern regions have been warned to prepare for a second storm that is set to arrive on Wednesday, according to Lao Meteorology and Hydrology Department, which issued a weather alert on Monday.
Lao Deputy Head of the weather forecasting and alerts sector, Sinthaly Chanthana, told local media that people living in Khammuan and further south could be affected by another storm on Tuesday.
The second storm will bring heavy rain to the southern provinces, which are still grappling with earlier flooding.
People who live in low-lying areas along rivers should be aware of the possibility of heavy rains, flash floods, landslides and other hazards.
