Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 13 urged the Ministry of Finance to consider and balance the 2025 reserve fund to propose and submit to the Government a plan to provide housing support for people affected by recent storms and floods in the central region no later than 12:00 on November 14.
Chairing a meeting with leaders of ministries and central-level agencies, which was connected online with disaster-affected localities, PM Chinh asked the relevant parties to take this occasion to restructure residential areas to avoid dangerous locations and ensure that people do not live too close to the coast.
Along with Government support, localities must also mobilise reserve resources to assist residents in rebuilding and repairing 1,900 collapsed houses and 67,000 others with damaged roofs.
He asked local Party committees, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front committees, socio-political organisations, and key forces such as the military, police, and health workers to continue to support and console families of the deceased and missing in accordance with local customs. They are to continue the search for the missing, provide medical treatment for the injured, and stabilise the situation, ensuring that no one is left without shelter, food, education, or access to healthcare.
The PM required local authorities to promptly restore electricity, clean water, transportation, and telecommunications infrastructure, and continue reviewing and mobilising all available means to supply food and necessities to households facing shortages and relocate residents to safer areas. The tasks also include ensuring that rice distribution is carried out immediately on November 14.
The Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organisations must promptly take action to assist in cleaning up damaged or collapsed production facilities and houses. Enterprises are to quickly stabilise their production and business activities to prevent disruptions in supply chains and breaches of contracts with foreign partners, stressed the Government leader.
Notably, while continuing to review and compile comprehensive statistics on disaster-related damage in localities, PM Chinh requested ministers, heads of sectors, and leaders of localities to actively and proactively take action within their authority to promptly overcome the consequences of natural disasters.
In late October and early November, localities from Ha Tinh to Dak Lak were continuously hit by storms and floods, particularly the prolonged historic flooding in Hue and Da Nang cities following Typhoon Fengshen and Typhoon Kalmaegi, the 12th and 13th storms in the East Sea this year. This wave of natural disasters was extremely severe, with preliminary estimates indicating losses exceeding 30 trillion VND (1.14 billion USD), reducing economic growth by approximately 0.2–0.4%.
Specifically, Typhoon Kalmaegi caused six deaths and 39 injuries, destroyed 1,279 houses, damaged or flooded nearly 90,000 more, sank or damaged 524 boats, and destroyed over 54,000 aquaculture cages.
Earlier on November 13 morning, the PM visited and directed recovery efforts in the central province of Gia Lai following the severe impact of Typhoon Kalmaegi./.
