Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It is still raining and flooding in Hanoi and south west China. They are calling this the worst natural disaster that Hanoi has ever seen. The drainage and pump stations are working well, but the river continues to rise with the daily rains. The extended forecast looks like, well, more rain and thunder storms.

There are also floods and mudslides in the bordering Yunnan Province (Jordan's birthplace).

I received acknowledged on Monday of this week from the US Embassy in Ho Chi Minh that they have received my I-600 form. I am still waiting for travel approval, and I am sure the floods will impact travel. I checked with the WHO and CDC and they are not recommending malaria medication prior to travel. However, they are on watch-alert for cholera and dengue. Isn't that just dandy?

Please pray for the people in this part of the country, and for baby Brian. We have been told that the orphanage is fine and not flooded. This situation is so threatening to this part of the world, and I cannot wait to bring one little boy home and spoil him rotten.



Floods kill at least 120 in Vietnam, China
By Ho Binh Minh Ho Binh Minh Tue Nov 4, 6:44 am ET

HANOI (Reuters) – Flood water from southern China pushed up river levels in northern Vietnam on Tuesday, worsening inundations across a wide region that have killed at least 120 people on both sides of the border.

Flooding in northern and central Vietnam since last Friday has killed 86 people, including eight children, while 34 have died from flooding and mudslides in southwestern China.

On Tuesday, more rain fell in Hanoi, which has experienced its heaviest flooding since 1984, and the authorities reported 20 deaths in the capital and surrounding area from drowning, electric shock or lightning.

Schools in Hanoi stayed closed on Tuesday and many streets remained submerged.

"This natural disaster is characterized as the largest ever in Hanoi," Pham Quang Nghi, chief of the Hanoi branch of the ruling Communist Party, was quoted by state media as saying at a meeting on Monday.

More heavy rain could strike northern Vietnam this weekend, the national weather center said.
In southwestern China's Yunnan province, mudslides caused by heavy rain killed at least 26 people, with 45 missing, Chinese state media reported. Mountain torrents triggered by heavy rain hit Guangxi to the east of Yunnan, killing eight.

Vietnam's Health Ministry alerted clinics in flood-hit areas to be staffed around the clock to prepare for any outbreaks of diseases such as cholera or dengue as residents in parts of Hanoi and 17 other provinces struggled with a shortage of fresh water and food plus power cuts.
State-run Voice of Vietnam radio said instant noodles and rice were distributed to flood victims in and around Hanoi on Monday.

More water arrived in the northern province of Lao Cai from China, raising Vietnam's Red River, the radio station said on Tuesday. Forecasters said Thai Binh river in the northern delta region was also rising.

(Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)