Storm No. 13 - Kalmaegi passed from November 2025, causing heavy damage to houses, crops and livelihoods of Gia Lai people.
In early June 2026, Hoa Hoi commune spent about 15.7 billion VND to support the restoration of agricultural production for about 2,700 households.
But just a few days after the first payment, about 200 complaints were sent to local authorities. People reflected that the damage determination was inaccurate, the support level was different, and many cases were missed, "outstanding" policies.
After reflections from people and Lao Dong Newspaper, the commune government established a verification team to review each case. More than two months later, over 4.2 billion VND was additionally spent on 646 households.
The fact that local authorities listen, inspect and correct shortcomings is commendable.
However, 646 households having to receive additional money is not a small number. Some households initially received support of 2.25 million VND, but after inspection, they received more than 10 million VND. Some households with more than 6,000 m2 of acacia trees knocked down by the storm, have declared damage but are not on the first payment list.
These cases show that the errors in the process of counting, confirming and making initial lists are quite large. If people do not complain, the press does not reflect, and the government does not organize reviews, will the missed cases be fully detected?
Support after natural disasters is an urgent resource. For agricultural producers, the slow arrival of support money may cause them to miss the time to plant, not have money to take care of crops or have to borrow to maintain livelihoods. The final policy is implemented correctly, but after the crop season, the effectiveness of support has also decreased significantly.
Therefore, the requirement of "right person, right time" must become a consistent principle in implementing disaster relief policies.
The right people so that no households are left behind, and at the same time avoid spending on the wrong people. At the right time to make the money truly become a source of capital to restore production, instead of just having the meaning of compensation when difficulties have been prolonged.
Supplementary payments should also not be closed by a "experience review". Local authorities need to clearly identify errors arising in the declaration, inventory at the scene, confirmation from the grassroots level or summarizing the list. If there are irresponsible officials, doing things perfunctorily or unfairly, it is necessary to consider specific responsibilities.
More importantly, the support process must be adjusted immediately before the new rainy and storm season. The list of households, area, crop type, level of damage and expected support amount must be publicized in residential areas before approval. People must have time to check and respond; the government must clearly stipulate the receiving point and the deadline for resolving petitions.
The biggest lesson from this incident, not only for Gia Lai but for all localities affected by storms and floods every year, is to be public, transparent, and responsible for policies, so that after each natural disaster, people receive the necessary support at the time they need it most.
