Flood Prevention: Experience from a Locality Frequently Hit by Natural Disasters

Experience from reality

Le Thuy and Quang Ninh districts (old) are two localities in Quang Binh province that were formerly known as the "flood center" of the Central region. Every year, from the 7th lunar month onwards, people in this area prepare items, food, and means to cope with the fierce floods. There were years when these localities "struggled" with 3 to 4 floods.

Mr. Nguyen Hoa Son, 92 years old (Truong Phu commune, Quang Tri province) shared: "People here have a saying 'floods cover the whole village', so since the time of my ancestors, I have been used to living with floods in this area. The house may lack many things, but dry goods to store in case of storms from the 7th lunar month onwards are indispensable."

*Small flood-proof house in Cam Hong commune, Quang Tri province (Photo: Uong Tan).*

“In the past, we stocked up on rice, dried cassava, dried fish, fish sauce, and shrimp paste to cope with natural disasters. Now it’s more convenient, with packaged dry food, instant noodles, vermicelli, and tapioca flour… These are items that almost every household in this low-lying rural area has prepared, ” Mr. Son shared.

In some localities in the North Central region, the flood-proof house model supported by the government to be built after the historic flood in 2020 has been very effective.

Flood-proof houses are supported for disadvantaged families, with the model being a house with a not too large area built with solid concrete, with height and stairs to transport furniture to the upper floors. Accordingly, each house is designed with 2 solid floors, minimum area of 13m2, the first floor of the house will be used for daily activities, the second floor will be used to avoid storms and floods and store essential items, in addition to the support money from local authorities and organizations, the rest of the households will have to secure additional funds to be able to build more solidly.

Stemming from the desire to support the poor to have safe houses against floods, and at the same time contribute to solving the problem of preventing and mitigating damage caused by storms and floods to people in the "flood center" of Le Thuy district, the Department of Planning and Investment of Quang Binh province (formerly), now the Department of Finance of Quang Tri, has proactively sought support packages from non-refundable aid from foreign organizations, especially accessing funding sources to support the construction of new houses for poor households to prevent floods, so that people can live safely together every rainy and flood season, helping the poor to stabilize their lives and escape poverty sustainably.

In Tan Hoa commune (old) now Kim Phu commune - a locality located in the "flood center", through many campaigns and support in Tan Hoa area, there are more than 600 floating houses to prevent flooding. Before the flood came, people had brought their belongings, belongings and properties to the floating houses to take shelter, so the response was very proactive, ensuring safety for their lives. The floating house model in Tan Hoa not only helps people "live with the flood" proactively but also reduces property damage.

*Floating houses in the flood in Tan Hoa (Photo: Minh Anh).*

Or the new invention of "flood-proof elevator" by local people in low-lying areas of Le Thuy commune during the flood last October, which was thoroughly effective.

According to many households who installed it, this system is designed quite simply, the investment cost is not too large but the effectiveness is very practical. Only one person can easily operate it, without much effort. In addition to protecting property, proactive preparation like this also helps my family feel more secure during the rainy season. This is a small but useful solution, suitable for the conditions of many households in areas that are often affected by floods.

*Mr. Le Thanh Nguyen Vu's flood-proof elevator, this is a product deployed by many households in the flood center of Le Thuy.*

Mr. Le Thanh Nguyen Vu, Quang Tri province shared: " In recent years, the flood situation has become more and more complicated, the water level rises quickly and unpredictably. My family has suffered many times due to furniture, electronic equipment, and household items being flooded. Based on that reality, I invested in installing a fixed pulley system in a convenient location...".

Promoting the role of "4 on-site"

During the recent complicated flood that occurred in Quang Tri province, Mr. Le Van Tan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Le Thuy commune, said that, implementing the "4 on-site" motto, local authorities directly inspected and directed villages to review vulnerable areas, grasp information about the number of households in areas at risk of deep flooding to be ready to deploy evacuation plans.

At the same time, check the dyke system, embankments and key projects to promptly detect and overcome safety risks during the flood season. Local authorities recommend and guide people to proactively move their assets to high places and stock up on enough necessities for at least 3 to 5 days.

Accordingly, in Quang Tri province, whenever there is information about natural disasters that directly affect the locality, Quang Tri province directs units and localities to be ready to respond to storms according to the "4 on-site" motto to minimize human and property damage.

*Authorities and military forces in Kim Ngan commune evacuated people according to the "4 on-site" motto.*

The province directed departments, branches and localities to mobilize maximum local forces. At the same time, closely coordinate with armed forces such as the army, police, border guards, and shock troops to develop a close coordination plan; maintain 24/24 duty in 5 key areas, ready to respond immediately when an emergency situation arises. In addition, the province directed localities to fully prepare supplies and necessities, ready to support people in evacuation areas and isolated and flooded areas.

Mr. Dang Van Duong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Kim Ngan Commune, Quang Tri Province said: "As a mountainous locality that often experiences landslides and isolation due to the impact of floods and rains, Kim Ngan Commune always proactively develops plans, coordinates with the police and military forces to proactively plan emergency evacuation of people. Ensuring people's safety is the top priority of the locality."

Improving the disaster response capacity of forces at the commune level plays an important role. Thereby, promoting the application of information technology, digital transformation in forecasting, building a disaster warning system that is close to the actual situation in order to proactively respond promptly and effectively, minimizing damage caused by all types of natural disasters.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/phong-chong-lu-lut-kinh-nghiem-tu-dia-phuong-thuong-xuyen-bi-thien-tai-431857.html