Natural disaster prevention committee monitors localities’ recovery from Storm Molave

Hanoi (VNA) - A delegation from the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control visited the central provinces of Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh on October 29 to meet with local authorities and discuss recovery efforts from the damage caused by Storm Molave.

The storm injured 13 people, destroyed 165 houses, blew roofs off nearly 84,500 houses, caused damage to hundreds of school and office buildings, and a large-scale power blackout, Chairman of the Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee Dang Van Minh told the delegation, led by the committee’s deputy head, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

It also sunk eight boats and ships docked at Anh Vinh in the island district of Ly Son, while damaging more than 477 ha of forest and uprooting 6,000 trees around the province, he added.

He proposed the committee provide Quang Ngai with 100 billion VND (4.31 million USD) in financial aid to help local people recover livelihoods and repair houses.

In the long term, Minh expects the steering committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to financially support the province in developing fishing ports, which can also serve as storm shelters. They include a 750 billion VND fishing port at Sa Huynh that can accommodate about 1,000 fishing boats, and another in Tinh Hoa capable of berthing 500 boats and costing around 400 billion VND.

He also proposed the development of a number of sea dykes in Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district, and Pho Thanh commune in Duc Pho town, to prevent erosion.

Meanwhile, five were injured and 26 fishermen went missing during the storm in Binh Dinh, while around 3,000 houses were damaged or had their roofs blown off and more than 2,680 ha of food crops were damaged. Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ho Quoc Dung estimated the total losses at 394 billion VND (17 million USD).

Dung urged the Government to continue helping the province search for the missing fishermen. He asked for funding to upgrading storm shelters at local fishing ports along with degrading reservoirs and the Tam Quan sea dyke. 

Speaking at meetings with officials of the two provinces, Cuong spoke highly of the provinces’ efforts to respond to Storm Molave, especially the timely evacuation of residents from dangerous areas.

He requested the provinces focus all their resources on repairing houses, schools, and medical clinics.

The Government and the steering committee have mobilised all forces and most modern vehicles for the search for the missing fishermen, the minister said, noting that the provinces should stay prepared as more storms are forecast to hit the central region./.