The 2013 ASEAN Disaster Emergency Response Simulation ExerciseARDEX-13 began in Hanoi on October 21, bringing together relevant forcesfrom all ASEAN member nations and observers from Japan, China, theRepublic of Korea, Australia and the US.
At the openingceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai called for closercoordination and mutual support among ASEAN in response to large-scalenatural disasters, which have recently been spotted in extreme,unpredicted patterns, hindering the development of many nations.
Deputy PM Hai highly valued the fact that the regional management ofnatural disasters remains a priority and part of cooperation betweenASEAN and its partners.
“Vietnam is always an active andresponsible ASEAN member in the implementation of the regional Agreementon Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER),” he noted.
The four-day event will simulate the scenario of super typhoonNeptune that makes landfall in Vietnam’s Red River Delta region andcauses large-scale flooding, affecting the dyke systems and tens ofthousands of people who are in need of emergency assistance.
At the strategic level, the event will enable participants to evaluateissues related to information sharing, regulate activities in responseto emergencies and deploy relief aid operations.
They will berequested to transmit information to the ASEAN Coordinating Centre forHumanitarian Assistance and other regional states to request assistance.Customs, immigration and quarantine will also take place to test theentry procedure for search and rescue.
At the tactical level,ARDEX-13 emphasises disaster rescue and relief operations performed bythe host Vietnam with the support of other regional countries.
Workshops featuring Vietnam’s disaster management system and AHA’s working mechanism will also be held.
The ASEAN search and rescue forces will coordinate in specificscenarios and provide on-site emergency assistance in flooded areas,collapsed buildings, field hospitals and in the wake of chemicalincidents.-VNA