Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung (standing) speaks at the meeting on October 21 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on October 21 asked localitiesto focus on supporting flood-hit people in the central and north-central regions,especially Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces, and on designing plans to preparefor and respond to upcoming storms so as to ensure life and property.
At a conferencein Hanoi on responding to storms and flooding in the centralregion, the Deputy PM noted that imminent Typhoon Saudel, the eighth tohave formed in the East Sea this year, is forecast to have a devastating impacton the region.
The official, who is also head of the Central Steering Committee for NaturalDisaster Prevention and Control, has asked the Border Guard High Command tocoordinate with the Directorate of Fisheries and localities to keep a close eyeon the development of the storm to keep vessels at sea informed.
Localitiesforecast to be hit should prepare suitable response plans, focusing onevacuating people from risky areas, he requested.
He askedthat special attention be given to the safety of dams and reservoirs as well astraffic safety and order, along with measures to protect agriculturalproduction and tourism activities and prevent environmental pollution and the spreadof COVID-19.
The DeputyPM assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to provide eachflood-hit locality with five tonnes of sausage. The Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment should direct the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting to provide updatedinformation on the storm’s developments as well as timely alerts. At the sametime, the Ministry of Information and Communications should update the publicon the storm’s movement via text message, while media agencies should regularlyprovide the public with guidelines on disaster prevention and mitigation.Working groups will be formed and sent to hard-hit areas.
The Directorof the National Centre for Hydro-MeteorologicalForecasting, Mai Van Khiem, said Storm Saudel formed in the East Sea on the nightof October 20. It is heading towards central localities and is likely to be atits worst from the night of October 24 to October 25.
Accordingto a report from the Office of the Central Steering Committee for NaturalDisaster Prevention and Control, as of 7 am on October 21, flooding that began onOctober 6 had killed 111 people and left 22 missing. Some 371 ha of rice paddieshave been submerged, 7,126 ha of crops damaged, and over 700,000 heads of cattleand poultry killed or swept away./.
VNA
