3 officials from the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) have set foot in Myanmar, along with colleagues from ASEAN to support the neighboring country.
News from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said that 3 officials (Nguyen Minh Thai, Dang Quoc Thinh and Nguyen Van Hoang) of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control have traveled to Myanmar from Hanoi and Da Nang. On the morning of April 1, 3 Vietnamese officials joined the delegation with members from ASEAN countries before being dispatched to Myanmar to support the neighboring country in overcoming the consequences.
Nguyen Van Hoang went to Nay Pyi Taw, Dang Quoc Thinh went to Sagaing and Nguyen Minh Thai went to Mandalay. Of which, Mandalay is the locality that suffered the most damage in Myanmar after the earthquake on March 28.
A 7.7 Richter earthquake with a depth of 10km occurred about 19km northwest of Mandalay, Myanmar on March 28. In Myanmar, catastrophic impacts are being reported, including widespread damage and serious damage to property and infrastructure. A state of emergency is in place and in effect in the six worst-hit areas: Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway, Shan State, Naypyidaw and Bago.
ASEAN countries have established the ASEAN Rapid Assessment and Emergency Response Force (ASEAN-ERAT). With more than 10 years of operation (from 2011 to present), it has proven effective in ASEAN cooperation on disaster management in the region. In the most difficult moments of natural disasters, solidarity and close coordination between ASEAN countries became a solid support.
The ASEAN-ERAT mechanism is a vivid testament to ASEAN's continuous efforts in responding to natural disasters in a timely manner, not only through professional teams, but also a demonstration of compassion, sharing and cooperation in humanitarian relief work.
The Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, implementing the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, playing the role of an international cooperation unit in natural disaster management, has actively participated in this mechanism.
