Improving coordination and handling of natural disasters in Phuc Loc

On the morning of August 8, the Hanoi Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control coordinated with Phuc Loc commune to organize a drill to practice handling a number of situations in natural disaster work, aiming to improve the command, coordination and practice capacity of "4 on-the-spot" for grassroots forces.

The program is part of the Project to implement Directive No. 42-CT/TU dated March 24, 2020 of the Central Party Secretariat.

The hypothetical situation for the drill was due to heavy rain over a large area, floods from upstream, the water level of the Red River rising above flood level III; many locations of the Van Coc dike were threatened, affecting residential areas living along the foot of the dike.

Chairman of the People's Committee, Head of the Civil Defense Command of Phuc Loc commune concluded the meeting to direct the handling of natural disaster situations. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

Faced with the above situation, Phuc Loc commune urgently held a meeting to hear reports on the natural disaster situation, human resources, materials and equipment preparation. Concluding the meeting, Chairman of the People's Committee, Head of the Civil Defense Command of Phuc Loc commune Le Van Thu requested to mobilize maximum forces, ensure smooth reporting information, handle key points of the dike in the first hour, and be ready to evacuate people if necessary. The commune's shock force (about 230 people) took position; Dike Management Unit No. 2 sent technical staff to coordinate; the Medical Station arranged a mobile emergency team, a stock of medicine and chemicals to treat the environment...

Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Loc Commune, Le Van Thu, briefed the task of the shock force in preventing natural disasters in the area. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

Handling of dike landslides. Video : Kim Nhuệ

Following the direction, the Phuc Loc commune shock force coordinated with Dike Management Unit No. 2 to increase patrols of disaster prevention and control works, paying special attention to vulnerable dike locations.

Handling the problem of dike roof seepage. Video: Kim Nhuệ

Upon receiving the urgent information, the Commune Civil Defense Command urgently divided into teams to handle each dike location where the incident occurred; the controller of Dike Management Unit No. 2 directly provided technical guidance; the medical team was on duty, ready to provide first aid to the participating officers, soldiers and people. After a short time, the incidents of dike seepage, dike slope landslide, extrusion joints, dike toe joints, and dike surface elevation to prevent overflow were handled safely and in accordance with technical procedures.

Commander of the Phuc Loc Commune Military Command Khuat Van Hanh shares experiences after the exercise. Video: Kim Nhue

From the perspective of the scene, Commander of the Military Command of Phuc Loc Commune Khuat Van Hanh shared: “The drill helps the militia and self-defense force improve their practical capacity and grasp the steps to handle incidents in the first hour. This is a valuable lesson, helping them proactively respond when natural disasters occur in reality.”

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Loc Commune Nguyen Dinh Truong shared his experience after the rehearsal. Video: Kim Nhue

Sharing with reporters, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phuc Loc Commune Nguyen Dinh Truong said that the drill has given the locality a lot of experience in ensuring dike safety. That is, it is necessary to arrange forces to guard the dike according to the flood warning level; prepare enough human resources, materials, and equipment, promptly detect and urgently handle incidents from the first hour. Missing any step can cost the locality, making the project unsafe...

Adequate preparation of manpower, equipment and materials is an important factor in dike protection work. Video: Kim Nhuệ

Summarizing the drill, Head of the Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment), Chief of Office of the City's Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue Nguyen Duy Du highly appreciated the preparation and organization of Phuc Loc commune - an area with a large dike length, a dike location where incidents have occurred, and many residential areas living along the foot of the dike. Operating a tight mechanism, acting quickly and technically in handling 4 typical dike incidents...

Head of the Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment), Chief of Office of the City Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue Nguyen Duy Du evaluated the drill. Video: Kim Nhuệ

In the context of extreme natural disasters and the two-level local government apparatus just operating, practicing handling natural disaster situations, especially handling dike incidents, is an urgent requirement, helping localities clearly identify strengths, overcome shortcomings, and contribute to ensuring the safety of people's lives and property.

The exercise contributes to improving the command capacity and coordination ability of the forces, and is an important basis for localities in the city to be proactive and ready to respond effectively to all natural disaster situations.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nang-cao-hieu-qua-phoi-hop-xu-ly-tinh-huong-thien-tai-o-phuc-loc-711877.html