Measures accelerated to support flood victims in central region

Thua Thien Hue Province's police force present gifts to local people in deeply flooded areas. (Photo: NDO)

On October 18, in Hanoi, Politburo member cum Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich presided over a meeting of the Defence Ministry on flood response and search and rescue to ensure safety for officers, soldiers and people in the central provinces.

Lich requested the highest level of responsibility from the army in not letting people get into trouble during flooding, asking for the urgent evacuation of local residents from dangerous areas as the army was urged to put the protection of people's lives and property on top.

The functional agencies under the ministry should closely follow the actual situation, improve their forecasting and closely monitor any changes to actively deploy plans to respond to natural disasters and in search and rescue work, he asked.

On the same day, a delegation from the Ministry of National Defence led by Deputy Minister Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong travelled to Quang Tri to direct the search and rescue work in the field.

Urgent support for local residents in central region

By the afternoon of October 18, the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) has mobilised nearly VND6 billion to support people in the central region, of which the VWU Central Committee received nearly VND432 million in cash and goods for the work on that day alone.

Hundreds of houses in Tan Hoa Commune, Minh Hoa District, Quang Binh Province, are deeply submerged in the current severe flooding. (Photo: NDO)

On the morning of the same day, Quang Ngai Province authorities donated VND400 million to Thua Thien Hue Province and Military Region 4 to help them ease the consequence caused by natural disasters.

The Telecommunications Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications has coordinated with mobile phone operators to send emergency messages to alert people in natural disaster areas about rain, flood, flash floods and landslides for proactive response. In the night of October 17 and the morning of October 18, more than six million subscribers received warning messages.

Newest carrier Bamboo Airways has begun to carry relief goods to flood-hit victims in the central region free-of-charge, as of October 19. Accordingly, aid packages weighing less than 40 kg will be prioritised on flights from Hanoi and HCM City to Vinh (Nghe An Province), Dong Hoi (Quang Binh Province), Chu Lai (Quang Nam Province) and Da Nang City.

Budget carrier Vietjet also announced that from October 19, the airline will provide free transportation and priority for relief goods on the earliest Vietjet flights which departure from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to airports in Chu Lai (Quang Nam), Da Nang (Da Nang), Phu Bai (Thua Thien Hue), Dong Hoi (Quang Binh) and Vinh (Nghe An). The airline will also give free air tickets to officials of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and People's Committees of provinces and cities who have duties in the central region during this period.

A delegation from the Da Nang City Party Committee visited and gave VND500 million to support the relatives of 13 martyrs who died during a landside at ranger station 67 in Thua Thien Hue.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Can Tho City have launched fundraising events to raise money in support of people in the central region to overcome the damage caused by floods. They have collected over VND1.1 billion.

The Ha Tinh Province Education Department has decided to allow more than 200,000 students in Ha Tinh City and the six districts of Huong Khe, Vu Quang, Thach Ha, Can Loc, Cam Xuyen, and Ky Anh to remain absent from school from October 19 to ensure safety during the current flooding.

According to the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has decided to provide 320,000 Aquatabs water purification tablets for six central provinces severely affected by floods, including Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Ha Tinh and Quang Ngai. The goods will arrive Vietnam today and will be delivered to the provinces immediately. A representative of the organisation said that WHO would continue to mobilise support from partners of the United Nations to collect more Aquatabs to support Vietnam.

Source: NDO