Do not be passive or interrupted in disaster prevention and control work.

On the afternoon of July 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Head of the National Steering Committee for Civil Defense (Steering Committee), chaired the first meeting of the Steering Committee on natural disaster prevention, control, and search and rescue in 2025.

The meeting was connected online from the Government headquarters to 34 provinces and centrally-run cities, 3,321 communes, wards and special zones nationwide.

Also attending were comrades: Tran Hong Ha, Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense , Deputy Head of the Steering Committee; leaders of ministries, branches, and members of the Steering Committee.

Attending at the Dak Lak province bridge were comrades: Ta Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; representatives of relevant departments, branches and units.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered the opening speech at the meeting. Photo: chinhphu.vn.

At the meeting, Minister and Head of the Government Office Tran Van Son announced the Prime Minister's Decision on reorganizing 3 Steering Committees (including the National Civil Defense Steering Committee; the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control; the National Committee for Incident, Disaster Response and Search and Rescue) into the National Civil Defense Steering Committee.

According to the report at the meeting, from the beginning of 2025 until now, the whole country has experienced 2 heavy rains, landslides, flash floods, floods, and serious inundation in some mountainous provinces in the North and North Central regions; storm No. 1 and extreme, unseasonal, and irregular historical floods and rains in the Central provinces from June 10 to 14; thunderstorms on July 19 before storm No. 3 in Quang Ninh killed and left 39 people missing; storm No. 3 circulation caused heavy rain and floods in Nghe An...

Natural disasters from the beginning of the year to July 23, 2025 have left 114 people dead or missing; economic damage is estimated at over VND553 billion.

Localities participate online. Photo: chinhphu.vn.

According to the assessment of the natural disaster situation and forecast of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in 2025, the number of storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea is approximately the average of many years (about 8-11 storms in the East Sea; 3-5 storms making landfall), concentrated in the second half of the rainy and stormy season; floods on rivers from Quang Binh to Khanh Hoa and small rivers and streams in the Northern region are at alert level 2 - alert level 3; risk of flooding in urban areas and large cities due to local heavy rains; flash floods and landslides are at high risk in mountainous provinces.

Therefore, to prevent, respond to and minimize damage caused by natural disasters, ministries, branches and authorities at all levels need to focus on reviewing, supplementing and perfecting the system of legal documents on natural disaster prevention and control to suit the reality and the two-level local government model.

Advise on the completion of the set of operating regulations in disaster prevention and control work of the Steering Committees at all levels. Improve the quality of forecasting, warning, monitoring and supervision of natural disasters to meet the requirements of serving the direction and operation work.

Organize, command, and effectively implement response work to major natural disasters. Strengthen communication and information work, raise public awareness; prioritize resources for overcoming the consequences of natural disasters...

Delegates attending the meeting at the Dak Lak province bridge.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized: Natural disaster prevention and control is a special defense content, because Vietnam has a long terrain and regularly faces many types of natural disasters.

Meanwhile, climate change has caused weather and natural disasters to become increasingly erratic, extreme, and unpredictable. Therefore, to minimize damage caused by natural disasters to people and property, civil defense activities must adhere to the "3 must" principle: early and remote prevention; calm, timely, and effective response; comprehensive recovery, and mobilization of people's strength. It is necessary to proactively store resources, ensure the supply of necessities, and prevent shortages or outbreaks of disease during and after natural disasters.

The Prime Minister requested ministries, branches and localities to seriously carry out the assignment and division of tasks, ensuring "6 clarity": clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear authority and clear results; taking people as the center and building communes, wards and special zones as fortresses.

At the same time, continue to perfect institutions to suit the new situation; improve forecasting, response and consequence-overcoming capacity; invest in information infrastructure; effectively implement disaster prevention and control work according to the "4 on-site" motto; avoid being passive and surprised in direction and leadership.

Localities need to strengthen propaganda and guide people to evacuate to safe places, avoid subjective mentality causing human losses; ministries and branches must coordinate with localities to perform well civil defense tasks...

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202507/khong-de-bi-dong-gian-doan-trong-cong-tac-phong-chong-thien-tai-8dc1271/