Ensure absolute safety for people, focus on quickly overcoming landslides after floods in Lam Dong

(Chinhphu.vn) - At the noon meeting on November 21, after inspecting the landslide scene and visiting people in the damaged area, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung requested Lam Dong to urgently evacuate people from risk areas, ensure food and accommodation, review all landslide sites and flexibly operate reservoirs to reduce flooding downstream.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung chaired a meeting with leaders of Lam Dong province to urgently direct solutions to respond to and overcome the consequences of floods - Photo: VGP/Gia Huy

At noon on November 21, right after inspecting the landslide and flood scene and visiting affected people in D'Ran commune, inspecting landslides at Prenn pass, Mimosa pass, at the headquarters of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung chaired a meeting with Lam Dong provincial leaders to urgently direct solutions to respond to and overcome the consequences of floods and storms, and immediately arrange resettlement areas for households with severe damage.

Attending the meeting were Lam Dong Provincial Party Secretary Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam; Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Muoi; Colonel Le Xuan Binh, Deputy Commander-Chief of Staff of Military Region 7; Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan; Major General Pham Hai Chau, Deputy Director of the Department of Rescue and Relief (General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army); representatives of the Ministry of Public Security, Government Office ...

Lam Dong estimates that more than 1,130 households have been affected by floods.

According to the report of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, in recent days, many places in Lam Dong province have experienced heavy to very heavy rain. From 7:00 p.m. on November 20 to 9:00 a.m. on November 21, the rain decreased, with only a small amount of less than 5 mm in most areas. It is forecasted that on November 21, the rain will decrease significantly; from November 22 to 25, there will be scattered rain, with a common amount of 10-20 mm, and higher in some places.

The whole province has more than 1,130 affected households. Some localities organized emergency evacuation of hundreds of households to ensure safety: Cat Tien commune evacuated about 400 households; many villages in Ka Do, Quang Lap, Don Duong, Ta Nang, Ninh Gia... were evacuated to safe locations. The province also recorded cases of houses collapsing, being swept away, or at risk of collapsing due to slope landslides; many residential areas were deeply flooded, locally isolated.

Initial statistics show that over 1,640 hectares of crops were affected, mainly flowers and some perennial crops. Specifically: D'Ran flooded about 300 hectares of vegetables; Ka Do washed away about 150 hectares; Quang Lap flooded about 150 hectares; Nam Da flooded about 500 hectares, Cat Tien flooded about 400 hectares of rice fields.

Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Ho Van Muoi reports at the meeting - Photo: VGP/Gia Huy

Lam Dong recorded over 33 large landslides and many small landslides, concentrated on important traffic routes and provincial and national highways passing through the area (Prenn Pass, Mimosa Pass/QL20, QL20, National Highway 27C, some local routes). Many sections of the road surface were cracked, collapsed, and some areas completely lost the roadbed; some bridges and residential bridges were damaged or washed away; some areas were locally isolated, greatly affecting traffic.

The Provincial People's Committee has issued many directives, requesting departments, branches and localities to focus on responding and overcoming; the Department of Agriculture and Environment has issued a dispatch to operate reservoirs to reduce flooding downstream. The Department of Construction coordinates to divert and regulate traffic and handle landslides. Local military, police and army forces have been mobilized to participate in relief, response, divert traffic and ensure safety.

At the commune level, the shock force continuously checks, issues warnings to people, organizes evacuations, and arranges support with food, drinking water and necessities for people at temporary shelters.

The province has preliminarily estimated the damage to date at over VND1,000 billion; localities are continuing to review, compile statistics, and update data. In the coming time, the province will continue to maintain 24/7 duty, increase warnings, traffic diversion, maintain reservoir operations according to safety procedures, urgently organize to fix landslides, ensure temporary accommodation and necessities for affected people.

Colonel Le Xuan Binh, Deputy Commander - Chief of Staff of Military Region 7, reported at the meeting - Photo: VGP/Gia Huy

Focus on 4 key tasks, mobilize large forces to overcome in Lam Dong

Reporting at the meeting, Colonel Le Xuan Binh, Deputy Commander - Chief of Staff of Military Region 7, said that Military Region 7 is focusing on four key tasks: evacuating people to ensure safety, visiting and supporting families of victims, providing long-term food and supporting home repairs. At the same time, strengthening environmental sanitation, reviewing landslide risks and perfecting warning plans when releasing floodwaters.

Regarding evacuation and ensuring people's safety, in recent days, the Military Region has coordinated with local authorities to evacuate about 1,200 households to safe locations.

The total number of troops mobilized to participate in the mission at the scene is currently over 3,500 comrades, ready to increase forces if needed (ready to mobilize an additional 3,000-4,000 officers and soldiers of Division 302 with a deployment time of about 3 hours).

The Military Region has initially allocated necessities including about 2,000 boxes of instant noodles, 2,000 boxes of rice and 2,500 sets of clothes; it is expected to continue to provide long-term support as many households have lost all their property.

Regarding support for housing, healthcare and environmental sanitation, Military Region 7 has assigned engineering forces to coordinate with local authorities to repair and build temporary houses; military medical forces (3 mobile military region hospitals) have been deployed to coordinate medical care and treatment after floods. Colonel Le Xuan Binh also emphasized that environmental sanitation is an important task to prevent epidemics.

Military Region 7 requested localities to promptly review and delimit areas at risk of landslides; adjust and supplement response plans suitable to Lam Dong's terrain and types of natural disasters.

Deputy Prime Minister requested to ensure absolute safety for people, focus on quickly overcoming landslides after floods in Lam Dong - Photo: VGP/Gia Huy

Focus on supporting house rebuilding, ensuring food and environmental sanitation after floods

Reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Pham Duc Luan, Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), requested that the forces focus first on searching for victims missing due to landslides. Along with that, they should visit and encourage families with victims; support burials and take good care of the injured. He emphasized that many households had lost all their property, their houses were buried and swept away, so the provision of food to the people must be maintained for a long time, not just for a few days.

Mr. Pham Duc Luan also stated that it is necessary to mobilize more resources from the Fatherland Front, social organizations, and philanthropists; many localities have issued mechanisms through the People's Council to increase the level of support to help people stabilize their homes soon.

The Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control also noted the issue of environmental sanitation to prevent epidemics after floods to ensure a clean environment and limit the risk of disease outbreaks after floods.

Do not let people lack food or shelter; check all landslide sites.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung said he had directly directed the work of preventing, combating and overcoming consequences in Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa and now Lam Dong. While flying a helicopter to inspect the field in Khanh Hoa, the Deputy Prime Minister noted many areas "vast sea of ​​water", houses were flooded up to the roof, people had to climb on the roof to call for help. Rescue forces approached as quickly as possible, "considering people's lives as the top priority".

As of this morning, preliminary statistics show that 87 locations are still isolated, with more than 3,000 people submerged in water; the Deputy Prime Minister has assigned local leaders to stay behind to directly command and ensure food supplies are not disrupted.

Regarding Lam Dong, the Deputy Prime Minister assessed that this flood was unprecedented in many years, occurring against the law when it should have been the dry season. The Deputy Prime Minister sent his condolences to the families of the deceased, the injured, and the households whose houses collapsed or were swept away; and acknowledged the great efforts of the provincial leaders in responding and overcoming the consequences over the past week.

Authorized by the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister awarded 200 billion VND in support to Lam Dong to overcome the consequences of natural disasters - Photo: VGP/Gia Huy

The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized that last night (November 20), the Prime Minister chaired an urgent meeting at midnight and this morning, during the break of the Politburo meeting, the Prime Minister continued to direct the assignment of leaders to the heavily damaged areas to direct timely solutions.

At the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed 5 key tasks: First of all, it is necessary to closely monitor the rain developments and review all areas at risk of landslides; absolutely do not be subjective because the ground is already waterlogged, further rain will be very dangerous. Localities must coordinate with the Army and Police to resolutely evacuate people to safe places when there is a risk of landslides.

Second, focus on quickly fixing landslides, ensuring traffic safety, especially on key routes such as Bao Loc Pass - where particularly serious incidents have occurred. The province needs to coordinate with investors to urgently handle the situation, the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment need to re-survey all routes and geological fracture areas so that the Ministry of Construction has a basis to come up with fundamental technical solutions, not just temporary patches.

Third, proactively count the damage and support people as soon as the water recedes. The Deputy Prime Minister noted the need to mobilize more social resources, the Fatherland Front, etc. At the same time, he requested absolute priority for central funding to restore people's lives, repair schools, hospitals, and houses for people.

Fourth, regarding social security, the Government has decided to provide 2,000 tons of rice to support Lam Dong. The support must be long-term, "not just 1-2 days" for households that have lost all their assets, it is requested to be extended to 2-3 months for people to stabilize their lives.

Fifth, regarding the operation of irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs, the Deputy Prime Minister asked the province to carefully inspect and rectify the operating conditions of the machinery. "Full storage" and then having to release water immediately when there is heavy rain is very dangerous for the downstream. He emphasized the need to operate flexibly, put safety of life first, and be able to keep the water level lower than the design to receive floods, even if it means reducing power generation.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Prime Minister has decided to provide urgent support of 200 billion VND to Lam Dong province, requesting the locality to use it for the right purpose, transparently, focusing on repairing infrastructure, roads, stream embankments, landslides and stabilizing people's lives.

Gia Huy

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/bao-dam-an-toan-tuyet-doi-cho-dan-tap-trung-khac-phuc-nhanh-sat-lo-sau-mua-lu-tai-lam-dong-102251121144449966.htm