Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha inspects storm prevention and control work in Hai Phong

(Chinhphu.vn) - On the morning of July 21, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and his delegation inspected preparations for storm No. 3 (storm Wipha) in Hai Phong City.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and the working delegation inspected preparations for storm No. 3 (storm Wipha) in Hai Phong City - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Forecast early and accurately, to have timely response measures

Reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister on a number of key tasks being focused on, Chairman of the Hai Phong People's Committee Le Ngoc Chau said that the city clearly identified the guiding spirit, "First of all, ensuring the health and lives of the people is the highest priority. Next is protecting property, in order: state property, people's property and business property".

There are currently 78 vulnerable points in the city, including the dike system, some old apartment buildings and structures at high risk of being unsafe during storms. The authorities have organized inspections, reviews, and at the same time, developed plans to evacuate all residents in old apartment buildings at risk of being unsafe, determined not to let people stay in risky areas.

For the offshore aquaculture cage area, the most important period is before the storm. The authorities have deployed all measures to anchor, tie, tie, and pull the cages to ensure safety. The police have taken a roll call of all the people on the cages and organized them to get ashore. Only one person will remain on each cage, and by 6pm on July 21 at the latest, the last person will be brought ashore. In case of non-compliance, the local authorities will enforce the law to ensure absolute safety for people.

The Deputy Prime Minister assessed that the city had given prompt, timely and clear instructions on storm prevention and control. However, the city needs to pay special attention to a number of issues, especially early and accurate forecasting, in order to have timely response measures.

As for the work of ensuring dike safety, the requirement is to control in advance. Weak areas where the quality of dikes is not guaranteed must be focused on and handled immediately.

Regarding the risk of landslides, the Deputy Prime Minister said that this is an issue that cannot be ignored, even though the risk still exists in the city and must be addressed fundamentally and long-term.

Therefore, the requirement is to have a comprehensive and sustainable strategy. Hai Phong needs to focus on reviewing and re-evaluating all areas at risk of landslides to thoroughly handle and fundamentally resolve the problem.

"After each storm, we must learn from experience and take decisive action to avoid a repeat," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that there are currently many key economic projects in Hai Phong City. Some projects have been completed and are operating stably - these items have been calculated and controlled. However, it is worth noting that projects in the unfinished construction phase are prone to loopholes, posing a great risk of property damage during storms, so special attention and strict control are needed.

The Deputy Prime Minister assessed that Hai Phong City needs to pay special attention to a number of issues, especially early and accurate forecasting, in order to have timely response measures - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Regarding offshore aquaculture cage areas, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that enforcement must be resolute, but if people are to actually move out of the cages, they must ensure a plan to protect their property. At the same time, it is necessary to mobilize the maximum number of armed forces to help people reinforce and protect the cages - considering this a race against time before the storm.

"We cannot "deal" with storms forever - we need to shift from passive responses to fundamental, solid solutions, applying technology to ensure sustainable livelihoods for people," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Strengthening forces for key points, timely support between communes

Inspecting the boat anchorage area in Do Son ward, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha listened to a report on storm prevention and control work No. 3 in the area.

The leader of Do Son ward said that, implementing the direction of the City Party Committee and the People's Committee of Hai Phong City, the locality has promptly completed the Steering Committee and assigned very specific tasks.

For Do Son, due to the possibility of the area being isolated, based on experience during Typhoon Yagi (September 2024), the locality has proactively established 5 working groups, with a total number of personnel ranging from 28 to 30 people.

Working groups are distributed in areas such as tourist areas, fishing ports and existing residential groups in the area, screening subjects and cases with high potential to be affected by the storm.

The locality has made plans to evacuate these cases to safe storm shelters.

In addition, the locality is implementing "going to every alley, knocking on every door" to approach and support people. Currently, there are nearly 100 households in the area at risk of landslides. Since yesterday, July 20, the locality has mobilized households to evacuate to safe places. The spirit is to be proactive, flexible, prioritizing the most convenient and convenient for people to evacuate as quickly as possible. Households are encouraged to move to neighboring houses, or hotels and motels in the area. Do Son strives to basically complete all the evacuation work by about 3:00 p.m. on July 21.

Along with the local forces, Do Son ward has support from military and police units in the area. The total number of troops that can be mobilized is up to nearly 5,000 people.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha listens to a report on storm prevention and control work No. 3 in Hai Phong City - Photo: VGP/Minh Khoi

Equipment received from Do Son district (old) is ready.

Regarding materials for landslide prevention, Do Son has a 700 m3 stone warehouse on site and a large warehouse containing 10,000 m3 of stone in another area for timely transportation when necessary.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the need to focus on key areas. This is a key factor to ensure mobility and quick, effective response when situations arise.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that in the past, a district could have many communes, but now there is only one commune-level administrative unit with a larger scale, but the tasks and pressure depend greatly on the key points in the area.

From there, the requirement is to increase resources - including material, equipment, supplies, and human resources - to the right vulnerable areas. At the same time, there must be a mechanism to mobilize forces between communes and provide immediate support.

"Each commune has shock troops, but when another commune has an incident, all other communes must immediately provide support," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

Regarding storm prevention and control materials and equipment such as boats, the Deputy Prime Minister requested to focus on preparation from the beginning, ensuring that when an incident occurs, it can be handled immediately on the spot, avoiding a passive situation, spreading, and causing chain reactions.

Minh Khoi

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/pho-thu-tuong-tran-hong-ha-kiem-tra-cong-tac-phong-chong-bao-so-3-tai-hai-phong-102250721135240869.htm