Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses the event (Photo: VNA) “Food and supplies must be brought to residential areas submerged by flood water or isolated at any cost,” he said while chairing an online meeting on December 17 on measures to overcome consequence of devastating floods in central localities from Thua Thien-Hue to Khanh Hoa.
The PM also urged localities to quickly evacuate residents from areas with high risks of flash flood and landslides.
He ordered localities to ensure safe operation of hydropower and irrigation reservoirs, contributing to reduce flood in downstream areas.
The localities were requested to prepare forces and resources to restore houses and clean the environment to prevent epidemics after floods.
In the long term, the PM directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to coordinate with ministries and localities to make overall assessment on flood vulnerability in the central and Central Highlands regions, which will serve as reference for thorough solutions to the disaster.
Official statistics show that heavy rain and flood from December 12-16 left 15 deaths and missing, destroying more than 130 houses, inundating nearly 112,000 others. Over 10,000 hectares of rice fields and many infrastructure and transportation works were damaged.
According to Ho Quoc Dung, Chairman of the People’s Committee of south central Binh Dinh province, the province is among the hardest hit localities with 31 deaths so far this year, along with 348 houses totally destroyed.
He asked for the Government’s emergency aid in the form of food, medicines, school textbooks along with financial support to overcome flood aftermaths.
The flood-hit localities have proposed that the Government provide urgent aid of 5,850 tonnes of rice, 8 tonnes of water purification tablets, 325 tonnes of rice, maize and vegetable seeds along with over 1.3 trillion VND to restore farming, transport and irrigation infrastructure.-VNA
VNA
