Educating students on natural disaster prevention and response

Increasing awareness of the importance of disaster prevention and mitigation

On the morning of August 16, in Hoa Binh, the Department of Dike Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held the final round of the Golden Bell Ringing Contest "Together with children to prevent natural disasters, create a sustainable future" at the junior high school in Da Bac town, Da Bac commune.

The competition aims to educate and disseminate knowledge about natural disaster prevention and control, thereby increasing awareness and skills to respond to natural disasters, focusing on children and young people in schools for natural disaster prevention and combat; creating a valuable and healthy playground, bolstering the spirit of solidarity, and promoting a sense of learning knowledge and skills on disaster prevention and control for students.

At the same time, it drew the attention of authorities and institutions involved in disaster prevention and control, particularly students and instructors at Da Bac Town Secondary School.

Speaking at the final round of the Golden Bell Ringing Contest "Together with Children to Prevent Natural Disasters, Create a Sustainable Future", Mr. Nguyen Huynh Quang - Deputy Head of Community Disaster Management Department - Department of Dike Management and Prevention stated that the task of raising awareness about disaster risks for the people, including students - the future owners of the country - is very important and must be done regularly in order to prevent dikes from breaking. 

Hoa Binh is a mountainous province that frequently experiences natural catastrophes that cause extensive destruction, such as storms, tropical depressions, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lighting, hail, floods and flash flooding, landslides, severe cold, harmful cold, and hoarfrost.

Together with children, create a sustainable future to prevent natural disasters

Mr. Tran Quoc Toan, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Commanding Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue and Civil Defense - Director of the Hoa Binh Provincial Sub-Department of Irrigation, stated that from 2017 to the present day, the overall impacts have been felt. As a result of climate change on a global scale, the average annual temperature in Hoa Binh province tends to rise, influencing both the temperature and climate in general. Education plays a crucial role in the period of disaster prevention, particularly in promoting awareness, knowledge, and skills in disaster response, as well as increasing students' awareness of disaster prevention and control. 

Mr. Pham Trung Thanh, Head of the External Relations Department of Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company, emphasized in the final round that the Golden Bell Ringing Contest "Together with you to prevent natural disasters - Creating a sustainable future" is a worthy, useful, and meaningful program, helping students gain more knowledge in disaster prevention; thereby contributing to the self-protection of their families - relatives as well as minimizing risks and damage when natural disasters strike. Acecook Vietnam is supporting this event for the second time this year; previously, the competition was conducted in Dai Loc district, Quang Nam province, in May 2023.

The "Ring the yellow bell" contest "Together with Children to prevent natural disasters" has contributed to promoting information and communication work, raising awareness about disaster prevention and control for children, community and society as a whole; integrating natural disaster prevention and control curriculum into schools; and mobilizing the participation of the entire society, businesses, international organizations, and non-government organizations.

The first prize was awarded to Dinh Thuy Duong of class 8A; three-second prizes were awarded to Nguyen Cong Tuan of class 6A, Nguyen Anh Tho of grade 9A, and Nguyen Thanh Huong of class 7A; and two third prizes were awarded to Nguyen Thi Ngoc Linh of class 9C and Xa Ha Khanh Uyen of class 7A.

Scientists have voiced concern about El Nino 2023 that may cause extreme weather conditions, including hot weather, lack of rainfall and drought.

In El Nino conditions, the number of typhoons and tropical depressions is 28 percent lower than the annual average level. There are about 10-12 tropical cyclones each year, including typhoons and tropical depressions in the East Sea, with 5-7 attacks (0.58 a month) having a direct impact on Vietnam’s mainland.