ADF Aid To Vietnam Flood Victims

The Australian Defence Force will deliver humanitarian relief to the victims of the worst flooding of the Mekong Delta in decades.

This weekend an RAAF Hercules C130 will airlift thousands of specially woven light weight blankets and water containers, to Ho Chi Minh City.

The Australian Red Cross shipment consisting of over 4000 blankets, and thousands of collapsible 20 ltr water containers, with a total value of more than $100,000, is urgently needed in Vietnam as many families have lost all of their belongings in the devastating floods.

Lynette Lowndes, Head of International Operations of Australian Red Cross said. "International Red Cross in Vietnam informed us that these are some of the most urgently needed supplies, and we jumped at the opportunity of providing direct assistance to the victims."

The aircraft, provided at no cost to the Red Cross, will arrive in the flood bound Ho Chi Minh City Monday (9 October) and will hand the blankets over to International Red Cross representatives for urgent distribution. The blankets will be delivered to families in the three worst affected provinces - Dong Thap, Long An and An Jianj.

EDITORS NOTE: Video will be available Monday afternoon from REUTERS Singapore. Stills will also be available from PACC directly out of Ho Chi Minh City.

For further information:

Department of Defence: Rob. Care-Wickham, +61 2 62652661,+61 0407 113 518

Australian Red Cross: Vedran Drakulic + 61 3 9345 1865, +61 0419 579 209

Issued by Public Affairs and Corporate Communication, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT, 2600 Media releases are available by email if you register at the Media Centre at www.defence.gov.au

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