The test in storms
Nearly half a year after the local government at 2 levels went into operation, Quang Tri immediately entered a test: Storm after storm, rain after rain. Newly merged communes and wards, officials who had just received assignments in the apparatus changed... all had not yet gotten used to the breath of new work when storms and storms rushed in, requiring smooth and decisive operation.
Those are no longer deployment meetings or regulations. That is practice, originality, urgency and sometimes harshness, to test the response capacity of the 2 levels of government, where communes and wards become the first and last support for people in natural disasters.
Since completing the 2-level local government model, Quang Tri has continuously suffered 4 storms No. 5, 6, 9 and especially storm No. 10. Sweeping through the northern area of the province, formerly Quang Dong, Quang Phu, Quang Kim, Quang Hop communes (Quang Trach district, former Quang Binh province), now belonging to Phu Trach commune, the storm has left large scratches on the transportation system, power grid, houses and civil works.
But among the knocked down power poles, the corrugated iron roofs flying in the wind, there is one thing that does not collapse: People's trust in the grassroots government.
Ms. Tuong Thi Nhien, hamlet 3 Hop Phu, recalled the storm night with a still trembling voice but grateful eyes: "My house is temporary, I am very scared. The government warned of a very strong storm, mobilized to relocate, so I went to a solid neighbor's house. Ton flew loudly, and thinking back, if I hadn't gone early, I probably wouldn't have been in time.
She recounted that the warning news was broadcast continuously on the commune's loudspeakers, telephones, and social networks. People did not wait for anyone to urge them, they braced themselves, prepared food, drinking water, and flashlights. Households with weak houses were all arranged for evacuation. "After the storm comes, nothing can be done anymore. The rain and wind are not steady, let alone bracing," she said.
The fact that there were no casualties in a strong storm like storm number 10 is the result of a series of early, methodical and responsible actions, things that the commune level did not always have enough authority to decide.
One of the biggest changes of the two-level local government is the granting of more authority to communes and wards. The Civil Defense Command Board has been consolidated, consolidating tasks that previously belonged to the district level.
The commune level now does not only "wait for instructions" but must develop response scenarios, allocate resources, receive relief, appraise production support and especially organize evacuation of people in dangerous situations.
Mr. Nguyen Chi Thang - Secretary of the Party Committee of Phu Trach commune - shared: "The new apparatus, the new area, but we cannot be passive. Experience from the recent storms shows: We must firmly grasp each household, each key location. We cannot rely on anyone else.
He described one night before the storm made landfall: Commune officials were on duty 24/24 at the Party Committee headquarters, People's Committee, villages; militia, police, and mass organizations were fully mobilized; each working group knocked on each household's door to mobilize relocation.
The actual situation is far from theoretical. When the rain and wind start to whistle, someone must stand there, say to the people: "Uncle, come with us, safely". If delayed for a few minutes, the consequences are very unpredictable.
If Phu Trach struggles in the storm, Vinh Hoang coastal commune will face another challenge: Maintaining a 12km long sea dike, a life shield for thousands of households.
When storm No. 10 was still a few dozen nautical miles from the shore, sea waves began to hit strongly, creating large cracks on the dike body. If it is not handled in just a few hours, the risk of dike breakage is completely real.
Hundreds of people, police, military, border guards, militia and local people stayed up all night, handing over each sack of sand to patch the dyke. The flashlights, the sound of waves, and the sound of people shouting at each other made up a battlefield without gunfire.
Strong government in the midst of a major storm
The 2-level model raises many questions about organization and operation. Officials from other places transferred to new communes; the area is wider than before; the coordination regulations between the Military Command Boards of communes are not yet complete; inter-communal and inter-regional situations are prone to confusion.
Vice Chairman of Quang Tri Provincial People's Committee Hoang Nam said that the province has established 5 key defense areas, playing the role of "command transshipment stations", coordinating forces and vehicles when localities encounter incidents.
No longer at the district level, all forces must be brought to the central commune or key areas. Neighborhood groups and villages must maximize their core roles, because they know each household, each risk point," he said.
According to him, in the early stages of operating the 2-level government, the province must "back up" the grassroots level in many aspects, from advising, guiding, to supporting forces. But in the long term, the commune level will become a strong enough system to handle most situations itself.
In the recent storms, the province issued many urgent telegrams, requesting the commune to implement on time, on tasks, and report on schedule. But when it came to reality, the commune not only "implemented", but also had to think, decide and implement in volatile conditions.
Communes, wards, and special zones are both the "final point" for receiving orders and the "first point" for the chain of actions to save people - protect villages - protect infrastructure. If the disaster prevention and control system is likened to a machine, then the commune level is a small gear but plays the most important role for the entire machinery to operate.
Because from here, the numbers on the text become real-life stories: A corrugated iron roof from flying, an old man being taken to a solid house, a dyke being repaired in time.
Quang Tri is building a disaster prevention system according to the 3-link model at the provincial - commune - community levels. When these 3 links are tightly linked, the system operates smoothly, and damage is reduced to the lowest level. And the clearest thing after a series of storms is: The commune level has matured faster than any forecast.
Natural disasters have never been a "fixed solution problem". But through each storm, each evacuation, each sleepless night by the dike, Quang Tri communes are proving that they have enough capacity and bravery to stand firm in the new model.
From the temporary houses of the people, the nights of sand flying faintly on the Vinh Hoang dike, to the storm watch teams in Phu Trach... all depict one thing: When power and responsibility are given in the right place, the commune level can completely be the solid front line of a new government.
And in every breath of the storm wind passing through, Quang Tri people have seen the most important thing: no one is left behind.
