Statistics further show that nearly 3,500 houses in Yen Baisuffered from damage, 16 schools and eight offices had their roofs blown off inthe natural calamity. Besides, nearly 150 hectares of rice and other food cropswere also damaged.
The total losses caused by the whirlwinds and hails areestimated at 18 billion VND (about 776,000 USD).
According to the Steering Committee for Natural DisasterPrevention and Control, Yen Bai is one of the two hardest hit localities, alongwith Ha Giang province.
The committee has asked the northern and north-centralprovinces to urge people to take precautions against hails and thunderstormsand promptly address the aftermaths to bring their life back to normalcy.
Weather forecasts say a cold spell is moving towards thenorth, bringing along heavy showers, thunderstorms and strong wind.
Rain isforecast to engulf north-central and central regions in coming days.
Temperatures in the north are predicted to drop to between15 and 18 degrees Celsius, even under 13 in some mountainous areas. However,the cold spell will not last long./.