Timely intervention of local authorities
In mid-September 2024, storm No. 3 (Yagi) and the post-storm circulation had a wide range of influence from the Northern region to Thanh Hoa (26 provinces and cities), including Hanoi.
To help people have a safe place to stay to avoid floods, the People's Committee of Truc Bach ward has arranged many classrooms into temporary houses at the Center for Vocational Education - Continuing Education of Ba Dinh district, facility 2 - 67 Pho Duc Chinh.
In addition to accommodation, food, medicine and 24/7 medical staff, there are often functional forces present to serve the people.
Ms. Pham Thi Diem - Vice Chairwoman of Ba Dinh District People's Committee visited and encouraged people to feel secure in fighting the flood. Full meals and the sharing and support of authorities and people in similar situations helped people to somewhat reduce the worries caused by natural disasters.
Ms. Ha Thi Tan, 82 years old, works as a scrap collector and rents a room along the river in Phuc Xa area, Ba Dinh. She said that due to the storm and flood, her riverside room was heavily flooded and she could not return to her hometown in Vinh Phuc in time.
Thanks to the timely help of local authorities, she had a safe shelter and dedicated care here.
In Hoan Kiem district, the local government has mobilized all forces in the area to participate and always care for the health of the people - especially the elderly; ensuring learning conditions for students depending on the actual situation (online learning and tutoring).
Security and order in the area are guaranteed; flood prevention and control equipment is adequate; the ward has also mobilized forces to watch people's vehicles during evacuation.
Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan has requested Hoan Kiem district and wards to closely monitor the situation to have timely response plans at each level; assign on-duty staff with the spirit of "4 on-site" and proactive. At the same time, review dangerous and high-risk areas to evacuate people to safe places.
"In case people do not comply, we must resolutely and even force them to move to a safer location," the Chairman of the City People's Council emphasized.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan also requested the entire political system to get involved, focusing all its efforts on taking care of the affected people. When evacuating people, it is necessary to ensure safety, adequate necessities, clean water, and medicine; at the same time, launch general cleaning movements in the entire district, support people in flood-hit areas in the area to take the best care of social security.
With the close attention and direction of the City Party Committee, the Hanoi People's Committee has issued many telegrams and documents directing the response and overcoming of the consequences of storm No. 3 and other types of natural disasters.
With proactive and drastic measures to prevent storm No. 3, always putting people's safety first, Hanoi has minimized damage caused by natural disasters.
The entire political system from the city to the grassroots level, departments, branches and People's Committees at district and commune levels have proactively directed response to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters according to their functions, tasks and areas of responsibility.
“Thanks to early and remote initiative, natural disaster prevention, control and search and rescue work has achieved good results, minimizing human and property damage. People's lives are safe; the construction system is stable, no major incidents have occurred…” - former Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen emphasized.
People need to be there immediately
Leaving their homes to the evacuation area, people in flooded areas of Chuong My district are also taken care of attentively and thoughtfully.
At the evacuation point to avoid flooding for more than 132 people of My Luong commune located at My Luong Secondary School, the Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of My Luong commune, the Vice Principal of the school and many regular staff stayed to be on duty with the people.
“We have set up a medical station right in the school to serve the people. Every meal served to the people temporarily staying to avoid the flood must also be carefully checked. If the people need anything, we must be there immediately.
We are also on duty here day and night to welcome volunteer groups. The goods arrive, unload quickly, confirm and then have to be transferred immediately," said Mr. Nguyen Minh Hai, Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of My Luong commune.
Directing the work of natural disaster prevention, Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh requested not to be subjective... mobilizing the entire political system to participate, even having to prepare and calculate all contingency plans regarding forces and means to respond to incidents in case the water level of the Red River reaches alert level III.
Disaster prevention and control should be considered as an official civil defense activity. Therefore, it is necessary to mobilize all local forces as well as agencies and units located in the area; organize specific assignments of disaster prevention and control tasks; ensure logistics, mobilize means and materials to promptly handle situations.
Reiterating the spirit of resolutely and drastically implementing mass mobilization work to make people aware of the dangers of natural disasters to property and life, Mr. Tran Sy Thanh requested that wherever people need to be relocated, they must completely relocate both people and property; and take good care of temporary housing and living conditions for people.
"We are determined to not cause any damage to people, then try to protect property safety and security and order in the area," the Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee emphasized.
After storm No. 3 ended, all levels and sectors of the city directed the implementation of traffic safety, security, order, and social safety, promptly handling incidents and situations that arose, especially when people returned to normal life and work.
