Five tasks in natural disaster prevention mission in 2021

On July 1, the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority and the Office of Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held a conference to review the work of the first half of the year and deploy key tasks in the last 6 months of  2021.

According to the report of the Authority, in the first six months of the year, natural disasters battered across the country, causing 25 deaths and 31 injuries, estimated economic losses of more than USD 132 billion.

Regarding the natural disaster situation in 2021, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep claimed that it developed according to the annual rule: “According to the report, the natural disaster situation in 2021 was not as fierce as that of 2020, thus it was more abnormal. It is forecasted that about five to seven storms would batter the country but none of them bigger as storm 9 in 2020, however, the rainy situation is serious, especially in the central of Vietnam in September and October. Unforeseen extreme weather is becoming more and more complicated."

From the beginning of this year, the Authority has drastically directed localities to quickly and effectively implement measures to overcome the consequences of natural disasters in 2020. Regularly monitoring and updating weather forecasts and warnings of natural disasters in the country and the region to promptly staff the leaders of the Ministry, the Steering Committee, to ensure a proactive and effective response to natural disasters.

After the natural disaster period, the Authority organized working groups to cooperate with relevant ministries, departments, and agencies to overcome the consequences and restoring production; promptly advise the leaders of the MARD to direct and urge localities to review and synthesize damage, support needs, especially in terms of people's livelihood and production recovery. Guide local specialized agencies, inspect the synthesis, assessment, and statistics of damage data and disaster recovery activities.

According to the Deputy Minister, from a year of severe and unusual natural disasters, issues relating to the direction and operation of disaster prevention and control have been recognized. Thereby, the Deputy Minister stated five tasks that need to be studied to direct and invest in disaster prevention in 2021.

“First, we must ensure the safety of natural disaster prevention responders and rescuers. The loss of disaster prevention forces in 2020 is too concerned, especially the armed forces. The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority, as a standing unit of the Central Steering Committee, needs to set up requirements, instructions, and directions to avoid the rescue of the rescue team,” Deputy Minister emphasized.

Secondly, in 2020, the number of casualties due to natural disasters onshore was too many. Of the four landslides, three were put on a particularly serious alert. The Deputy Minister said that it is necessary to learn from experience this year, to give more drastic direction, and to attach responsibility in disaster prevention to local leaders.

The third is promoting communication to people, MARD leader stressed: “With the level of the general forecast, general information about flood levels, people will not know how the water will rise. We have to forecast in more detail about day, hour, place where the water will rise. That information needs to be conveyed to the people so that people can proactively respond."

The fourth is the deployment of the immigrants to avoid storms and floods during the time of Covid-19. Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said that from now until October, the peak time of storms and floods, the Covid-19 pandemic situation will certainly not be relieved.

The fifth task is to pay more attention to the works, especially the construction sites during storms. The Deputy Minister said that the incident at Rao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant was a very painful experience, from which the localities must carefully review the construction works in the area at risk of landslides and carry out the relocation of 100% dissipation.