Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has presided over an online conference to discuss flood and storm prevention and safety measures this year, with the participation of leaders from 63 provinces and cities nationwide. He asked relevant agencies, cities and provinces to raise the quality of weather forecasts and to overcome the shortcomings of last year.
He asked cities and provinces to make sure they have enough local forces and facilities to cope with floods and storms. He also asked the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment to prepare food reserves so they would be ready to help flood-hit residents. Hai said that the aftermath of floods and storms last year was not overcome yet in some aspects, particularly concerning transportation.
According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dao Xuan Hoc, last year natural calamities killed 473 people, and 64 others went missing while more than 400 people were injured, more than 4,000 houses collapsed and nearly 500,000ha of rice and vegetables were damaged or washed away.
Total damages caused by floods and storms last year amounted to more than VND13 trillion. The Government last year also gave VND1.4 trillion and 12,150 tonnes of rice to localities to help them overcome the aftermath of floods and storms. However, it was forecast that this year the weather would be even more severe than last year.
Director of the Central Hydro-meteorology Forecast Centre Bui Minh Tang said that storms and tropical depressions this year could appear on the East Sea sooner and much more frequently than in previous years. Tang said that storms may appear in May and June, and floods on the Red River would be also higher than last year.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said this year storms would come sooner, bringing higher rainfalls, so flash floods, would be more severe.
Tran Quang Thu, head of the Economics Department at the Ministry of Planning and Investment said this year the Government would raise spending for flood and storm prevention and control. But localities must take responsibility and help protect local dikes and reservoirs, he said.
