Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Many mountainous localitiessuffered heavy losses from natural disasters in 2006 due to their failure totake account of forecast, prevention, monitoring, risk assessment andcommunication work, according to an official of the Central Steering Committeefor Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Van Phu Chinh, head of the committee’s standingoffice, made the assessment at a meeting in Hanoi on June 1 that looked intonatural disaster prevention and control in 18 mountainous provinces from thenorthern region to the central province of Ha Tinh.
He noted in 2016, the mountainous areas wereaffected by 24 strong cold spells, four storms and follow-up floods, along withwhirlwinds and hailstorms.
Up to 109 people were killed and went missing inthese disasters while about 940 houses collapsed or washed away and 44,220others were inundated, more than 134,000ha of rice and other crops were devastated.Natural calamities also killed 37,180 livestock and 127,530 poultry and damaged56km of canals and ditches.
Material damage exceeded 5.8 trillion VND (255.4million USD), Chinh said.
He blamed authorities at all levels, especiallygrass-roots level, for the problem, adding that their supervision activitiesare still lax. While there remain many obstacles in the resettlement ofresidents in vulnerable areas, the planning of residential areas has yet totake into account disaster risks. Communication activities to raise publicawareness of flash floods in many mountainous provinces haven’t been effective.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Hoang Van Thang, who is a deputy head of the central steeringcommittee, said human and property damage caused by natural disasters inmountainous provinces remains a challenge for many years and haven’t beensettled thoroughly as expected.
Meanwhile, Director of the National Centre forHydro-Meteorological Forecasting Hoang Duc Cuong said the forecasting of naturaldisasters in mountainous areas, especially in the north, is flawed and hasn’tcompletely satisfied the growing demand in disaster prevention and control.
To minimise human and property losses, thelocalities should be well-prepared in terms of leadership, forces, means andmaterials, and logistics. They also have to appropriately exploit naturalresources to ensure sustainable socio-economic development, he added.
To respond to this year’s rainy season, thecentral steering committee ordered the provinces to review all residentialareas and structures to locate flood- and landslide-prone areas while adamantlyrelocating households at risk.
It said they must devise flood response plansand pay special attention to communication methods to ensure all residents willbe updated with disaster information. Rescue staff and vehicles also need to begeared up in case of emergencies. -VNA
Van Phu Chinh, head of the committee’s standingoffice, made the assessment at a meeting in Hanoi on June 1 that looked intonatural disaster prevention and control in 18 mountainous provinces from thenorthern region to the central province of Ha Tinh.
He noted in 2016, the mountainous areas wereaffected by 24 strong cold spells, four storms and follow-up floods, along withwhirlwinds and hailstorms.
Up to 109 people were killed and went missing inthese disasters while about 940 houses collapsed or washed away and 44,220others were inundated, more than 134,000ha of rice and other crops were devastated.Natural calamities also killed 37,180 livestock and 127,530 poultry and damaged56km of canals and ditches.
Material damage exceeded 5.8 trillion VND (255.4million USD), Chinh said.
He blamed authorities at all levels, especiallygrass-roots level, for the problem, adding that their supervision activitiesare still lax. While there remain many obstacles in the resettlement ofresidents in vulnerable areas, the planning of residential areas has yet totake into account disaster risks. Communication activities to raise publicawareness of flash floods in many mountainous provinces haven’t been effective.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Hoang Van Thang, who is a deputy head of the central steeringcommittee, said human and property damage caused by natural disasters inmountainous provinces remains a challenge for many years and haven’t beensettled thoroughly as expected.
Meanwhile, Director of the National Centre forHydro-Meteorological Forecasting Hoang Duc Cuong said the forecasting of naturaldisasters in mountainous areas, especially in the north, is flawed and hasn’tcompletely satisfied the growing demand in disaster prevention and control.
To minimise human and property losses, thelocalities should be well-prepared in terms of leadership, forces, means andmaterials, and logistics. They also have to appropriately exploit naturalresources to ensure sustainable socio-economic development, he added.
To respond to this year’s rainy season, thecentral steering committee ordered the provinces to review all residentialareas and structures to locate flood- and landslide-prone areas while adamantlyrelocating households at risk.
It said they must devise flood response plansand pay special attention to communication methods to ensure all residents willbe updated with disaster information. Rescue staff and vehicles also need to begeared up in case of emergencies. -VNA
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