The Red Cross has asked for $1.2 million in aid to help some 42,000 Vietnamese people affected by weeks of flooding.

In a statement Thursday, the aid organization said its main goal is to provide the victims with cash, household kits, safe water, hygiene items, medicine and shelter. A top official with the Vietnam Red Cross, Doan Van Thai, said the needs are severe.

Vietnamese authorities say 100 people have died in the floods, which began in the Mekong Delta region in September. More than 600,000 people have been affected in seven provinces and more than 125,000 houses have been flooded.

Meanwhile, authorities in the Thai capital, Bangkok, are focusing their attention on keeping more water from flowing into the city center and deal with flooded neighborhoods. The authorities worry about the health risks posed by uncollected garbage, open sewage and toxic runoff from industrial estates and rice paddies from the north.

Besides reducing health risks, trash collectors are also helping to keep the city's canals, drains and water pumps clear of debris. This is critical to speed the flow of runoff to the ocean, where much of the city's waterlogged garbage will eventually end up.

This year's unusually heavy seasonal monsoon rains have killed more than 800 people across Southeast Asia.