Prime Minister directs to focus on overcoming the consequences of storm No. 5 and responding to floods

Storm No. 5 caused heavy damage to infrastructure in Nghe An province. *Photo: Quang Anh*

Storm No. 5 has blown off roofs of many houses, damaged structures, fallen trees, and caused widespread power outages. The storm's circulation continues to cause heavy rain until the end of August 26 in the mountainous, midland, and delta areas of the North, especially posing a risk of deep flooding, flash floods, and landslides in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces.

To quickly overcome the consequences and effectively respond to floods after the storm, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested:

1. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Government agencies; Secretaries and Chairmen of People's Committees of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri provinces and localities affected by the storm, according to their functions, tasks and authority, continue to lead, direct, mobilize forces, means and resources to resolutely respond to floods after the storm, and quickly overcome the consequences of storm No. 5 to quickly stabilize the people's situation.

2. Comrade Secretary, Comrade Chairman of People's Committee of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri provinces:

a) Direct local authorities to base on the specific situation in each locality to decide and have plans to support people in evacuation areas to return home in areas that have been ensured to be safe.

b) Continue to direct focused response to floods after storms:

1) Thoroughly evacuate and relocate residents in dangerous areas, especially those that are often deeply flooded during heavy rains and floods, areas at risk of flash floods, landslides, and areas with fast-flowing water along rivers and streams. At the same time, support to ensure essential needs for people in the evacuation areas, especially for poor and disadvantaged households, so that people do not lack food, foodstuffs, and drinking water.

2) Propagate and advise people to limit travel when there is heavy rain and floods; arrange forces to block, guide and support people to participate in traffic safely, do not let people move through if safety is not guaranteed, especially through overflows, areas with deep flooding, fast-flowing water, landslides or areas at risk of landslides.

3) Assign leaders to directly direct flood response work in key areas, especially villages and hamlets at risk of being isolated due to floods and landslides; review and deploy backup plans for power supply and telecommunications signals, ensuring uninterrupted communication from villages and hamlets to all levels, without information interruption.

4) Direct the safe operation of irrigation dams, hydroelectric dams, and dykes, and proactively have response plans to ensure the safety of residents in the event of the worst-case scenario (floods exceeding design levels), and avoid being caught off guard.

5) Prepare forces, vehicles, and equipment at key and vulnerable areas (to each village and hamlet) to deploy search and rescue in case of bad situations...

c) Direct the review, statistics, preliminary assessment of damage and proactively mobilize military, police, youth forces, etc. to urgently overcome the consequences of storm No. 5, focusing on:

1) Support people to repair damaged or blown-off houses, support temporary accommodation for households that lost their homes due to storm No. 5 according to regulations, and do not leave people without a place to live.

2) Immediately repair schools and medical facilities with damaged roofs or storm damage, to be completed by August 2025 to ensure students return to school in time for the new school year and to ensure medical examination and treatment for the people.

3) Urgently clear obstacles and clean roads to ensure traffic returns to normal soon after the storm.

4) Direct service providers to promptly fix and restore power, telecommunications, and domestic water supply to ensure people's lives and production and business activities.

5) Salvage and repair sunken ships and boats, restore damaged aquaculture and agricultural production to soon stabilize people's lives.

3. The Ministers of the Ministries of National Defense and Public Security direct Military Region IV and units stationed in the area to deploy necessary forces, means, and equipment, ready to support people in responding to and quickly overcoming the consequences of storms and floods when requested by the locality.

4. The Minister of Industry and Trade directs Vietnam Electricity Group and relevant units to focus on implementing measures to ensure the safety of hydroelectric dams; promptly repair the power grid system damaged by storms and floods, striving to complete it in August 2025 to ensure early restoration of power supply for people's daily life and production.

5. The Minister of Science and Technology directs and urges telecommunications service providers (VNPT, Viettel) to focus on immediately repairing the telecommunications system damaged by storm No. 5, restoring telecommunications signals, and having solutions to ensure telecommunications signal supply in areas at risk of heavy rain and floods, serving the direction of natural disaster response and people's daily life, production and business.

6. The Minister of Agriculture and Environment continues to direct forecasting, providing full, timely and accurate information on flood developments; coordinate with localities and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to direct the work of ensuring the safety of dikes and dams.

7. The Minister of Education and Training directs and supports localities in implementing safety measures, promptly repairing educational facilities damaged by storms, proactively developing plans to support teaching equipment, textbooks and school supplies, ensuring learning conditions for students right from the beginning of the new school year.

8. The Minister of Health directs the implementation of the work of protecting medical facilities and performing well the medical examination and treatment work in localities affected by storm No. 5, not to interrupt the emergency work and treatment of patients, ensuring the supply of sufficient essential medicines for the people, promptly supplementing the reserve of medicines, chemicals, and supplies to proactively prevent and combat natural disasters according to regulations; directs the organization of environmental sanitation, disease prevention, ensuring clean water and food safety after floods.

9. The Minister of Construction shall proactively direct and support localities in quickly repairing traffic routes damaged by landslides caused by storms and floods, ensuring safe and smooth traffic, especially on main traffic routes.

10. General Director: Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam News Agency continue to report on flood developments, instructions from authorities; provide guidance on flood response skills, flash floods, landslides to reduce damage.

11. The Chief of Office of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee shall coordinate with the competent agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to monitor the situation, promptly and proactively coordinate and mobilize forces and means to support localities in responding to floods and storms, and report to the Prime Minister and competent authorities as prescribed.

12. Assign Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to continue directing ministries, branches and localities to respond to floods and overcome the consequences of storm No. 5.

13. The Government Office monitors and urges ministries, branches and localities to seriously implement this Official Dispatch; promptly reports to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in charge on urgent and arising issues.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thu-tuong-chi-dao-tap-trung-khac-phuc-hau-qua-bao-so-5-va-ung-pho-mua-lu-713972.html