More than 200 people in Hong Son commune practice disaster prevention, mitigation and response

More than 200 officers, soldiers and residents of Hong Son commune (Hanoi) participated in a drill on disaster prevention, mitigation and response on the morning of November 14.

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Hong Son Commune Nguyen Van Hai gave a speech directing the forces participating in the drill. Photo: Kim Nhue

On the morning of November 14, at the right-hand Day dike section through Hong Son commune, the Hanoi Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control coordinated with the Commune People's Committee to organize a drill on natural disaster prevention, control and mitigation, and techniques for handling the first hour in common dike incidents. This is an activity within the program to improve civil defense capacity after Hanoi implemented the two-level local government model from July 1, according to which the commune level is assigned more direct and closer-to-the-people tasks.

Hong Son commune rehearses meeting to operate disaster prevention and control mechanism. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

The drill attracted more than 200 participants including commune leaders, professional staff, disaster prevention and control shock forces, militia, police, medical staff, youth union members and a large number of people.

The drill scenarios are built close to the actual local situation in the context of increasingly extreme natural disasters, unusually heavy rains, and sudden floods, requiring grassroots forces to respond quickly and with the right techniques.

Nearly 200 officers, soldiers, union members and residents of Hong Son commune participated in the drill. Photo: Kim Nhue

According to the drill scenario, the first situation at Km16+500, the patrol force discovered that the water level of the Day River was rising rapidly, about 0.5m from the dike surface; immediately, the order to mobilize forces was issued. The militia divided into groups to arrange sand and soil bags to raise the dike surface. After nearly an hour of urgent construction, the critical location was safely handled.

In the second situation at Km16+700, the force discovered illegal seepage in the dike roof. The teams quickly dug a Y-shaped drainage ditch and deployed a reverse filter layer of sand, crushed stone, and boulders.

The Hong Son commune disaster prevention and control shock force practices handling the incident of seepage on the dike. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

In particular, the situation of the bubbling veins in the downstream pond - considered the most serious - was handled by the reverse filter well method with steel drums, straw fences and filter materials according to the correct dike management techniques. The operations required smooth coordination between many groups of forces, ensuring that the water drained evenly and that sand and soil were not washed out.

Hong Son commune's disaster prevention and control force practices handling a dike landslide incident. Video : Kim Nhuệ

Evaluating the drill, Deputy Head of the Hanoi Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Tran Thanh Man said that the Hong Son commune force had a firm grasp of the first-hour incident handling procedures.

In recent years, Hong Son has been severely affected by storms and floods. In 2024, many houses were deeply flooded for many days, requiring emergency assistance... These incidents and natural disasters have made people more aware of the urgency of preparing response plans right at the grassroots level.

Deputy Head of the Hanoi Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Tran Thanh Man evaluated the drill. Photo: Kim Nhue

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hong Son Commune, Truong Anh Tuan, acknowledged: "Through the drill, we clearly reviewed the responsibilities of each force and each department. Coordination, command, preparation of forces, materials and means according to the "4 on-site" motto are skills that need to be practiced regularly. The commune will continue to update and supplement plans closer to reality to ensure absolute safety for the people."

According to Commander of the Military Command of Hong Son Commune Hoang Van Giap, practicing on the scene helps the shock force become more confident. “Situations such as seepage, roof collapse or bubbling all require very specific techniques. Through the exercise, the force is able to operate according to the correct procedures, gain a lot of experience to be ready to handle when a real incident occurs.”

Hong Son commune's disaster prevention and control force gains skills in handling dike-base erosion incidents. Video: Kim Nhuệ

Not only the professional forces, but also the people who participated and watched the drills highly appreciated the effectiveness of visual propaganda. Ms. Nguyen Thi An, a resident of Tan Do village, shared: “Through the drills, I understand better what I have to do before, during and after storms and floods. Watching the forces practice handling leaks or seepage, I realized how complicated natural disaster prevention work is. We, the people, need to follow the recommendations and be more proactive to protect our families from natural disasters.”

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/hon-200-nguoi-xa-hong-son-dien-tap-phong-chong-giam-nhe-thien-tai-723244.html