The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has just sent an official dispatch to the People's Committees of the Northern provinces and cities on proactively responding to heavy rain, the risk of flooding, flash floods, and landslides.
The document stated that in recent days, the northern mountainous provinces have experienced heavy rain, floods, inundation, flash floods, and landslides, causing serious damage to people, property, and infrastructure, especially in Dien Bien and Son La provinces.
It is forecasted that from the evening of August 4 to the morning of August 7, the mountainous and midland areas of the North are likely to experience a widespread heavy rain with common rainfall of 50-120mm, locally over 250mm; other areas of the North have rain from 30-80mm, locally over 150mm; warn of the risk of heavy rain over 100mm/3 hours. Heavy rain is likely to cause flooding in low-lying areas, urban areas, industrial parks; flash floods on small rivers and streams, landslides on steep slopes.
To proactively respond to heavy rain, the risk of floods, inundation, flash floods, and landslides, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment recommends that People's Committees of provinces and cities:
Urgently mobilize resources to overcome the consequences of the recent floods; closely monitor forecasts and warnings about heavy rain, risk of floods, flash floods, landslides and provide timely and complete information to local authorities and people to proactively prevent them.
Deploy shock forces to inspect and review residential areas along rivers, streams, low-lying areas, areas at risk of flooding, flash floods, and landslides to proactively clear the flow in areas with congestion; organize the evacuation of people to safe places, especially areas where heavy rain has occurred in recent days.
Organize forces to guard, control, support and guide to ensure safe traffic for people and vehicles, especially at culverts, spillways, areas with deep flooding, fast-flowing water, areas where landslides have occurred or are at risk of landslides; resolutely do not allow people and vehicles to pass through if safety is not guaranteed, do not let unfortunate damage to people occur due to carelessness and subjectivity; arrange forces, materials, and means to overcome incidents, ensure smooth traffic on main traffic routes when heavy rain occurs.
Inspect, review, and implement measures to ensure the safety of vulnerable works and works under construction, especially those that have had incidents and small reservoirs that are full of water; arrange standing forces to operate and regulate reservoirs and be ready to handle possible situations.
Proactively drain water to prevent flooding to protect production, industrial parks, urban areas, and residential areas.
Prepare forces and means for rescue when required.
Direct local broadcasting and advertising agencies and mass media agencies to increase information about the developments of heavy rain to authorities at all levels and people to proactively prevent it.
The agency seriously and regularly reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (through the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control).
