Tropical storm Haima strikes Au Lac (Vietnam) and Thailand

Tropical storm Haima strikes Âu Lạc (Vietnam) and Thailand. As of Tuesday, June 28, tropical storm Haima had claimed at least 22 lives and injured over 65 others, with another five still missing in northern and north-central Âu Lạc as it brought whirlwinds, lightning, and floods since Thursday. Nearly 2,700 homes were damaged and 40,000 hectares of rice paddies were submerged in the strong winds and rains. In central Thanh Hóa province, Vietnamnet Bridge reported that hundreds of soldiers, many of them young and never having farmed before, rushed to help local residents harvest and save their rice crops. Further west in Thailand, Haima also triggered flash floods, hillside runoff, and mudslides in several northern provinces, damaging vast swathes of farmland and inundating many homes and other buildings. As when the tropical storm was first arriving, Supreme Master Ching Hai expressed her sorrowful prayers as she requested that our Association members please check with regional officials to see if any assistance is needed. Saying that emergency funds are available, she also asked that they go if possible to render assistance to the most desperate. Our appreciation, all officials, soldiers and other personnel working to ease the conditions for the storm-stricken residents of Thailand and Âu Lạc as we also thank Supreme Master Ching Hai for her heartfelt concern. May stability be restored in all corners of the world through our greater benevolence toward all beings.